The Stubborn Weasley
by fantasy137
Summary: The Triwizard tournament is here, and everyone has something or the other on their plate. While Harry and his friends struggle to keep him alive, Katie has struggles of her own. Mostly including a certain red-head who refuses to tell her the truth. Mostly about Katie, this is a Fred/Katie story. Slight swearing, but nothing worse than the books. Set during the Goblet of Fire.
1. The Hair

Chapter 1 – The Hair

**This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction. It is Fratie. I don't know why but I suddenly started shipping them. This probably won't be too long. You guys let me know what you think :)**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. All rights go to the brilliant J.K Rowling. I'm only going to say that once :)**

A fire burned steadily in the corner of the common room. Outside snow was falling gently. Slowly, Katie raised herself from the squashy armchair she was taking up. Fred was lying in a corner, snoring slightly. George was huddled with Lee, probably planning some prank. Suddenly they raised their head and looked around the room, seeing only a sleeping Fred, and Katie. They got up, smirking evilly, and ran up the stairs, whispering something. That left Fred. Katie slowly wandered over to where he sat and lowered herself in an armchair next to him.

"Fred," she breathed. Fred didn't move, so she continued. "You're cute when you're asleep," she murmured. She stroked his red hair, and contemplated placing a kiss on his forehead. She decided against it and rushed upstairs.

"How's it going Katie-bell?" Fred said cheerfully the next morning. He slurred her name so it sounded like one word.

"Same as always Freddie." Katie smiled. She spread a dark red jam on a piece of toast, but didn't eat it yet. Angelina and Alicia had just glided into the room.

"What class do you have today?" Fred asked.

"Hmm? Oh, Double Potions with Ravenclaw," Katie said distractedly.

"Good luck with Snape. He's in a bad mood."

"What did you do?" Kate demanded instantly. Fred flashed a knowing smile.

"You'll know when you've reached potions, now won't you my dear Katie-bell?" Fred smirked, and turned to talk to Lee. "Have anything planned for old McGonagall today?"

Katie bit her lip and turned away. She hated being a year younger than her friends. When they'd laugh about some funny thing that had happened in class, she was left to ask what exactly had happened. Half of her time at Hogwarts was spent away from her friends, and it made her feel left out.

"What's wrong Katie-bell?" Fred asked suddenly, turning to her.

"Nothing," Katie said quickly. "Why would anything be wrong? Nothings wrong!"

"Ok then," Fred said slowly. He looked intently at her, and she felt herself blush. Fred was always able to make her blush. Just then, Angelina started coughing.

"What's wrong?" George asked in an innocent voice.

"This jam is too salty!" Angelina said through swigs of pumpkin juice. "It's disgusting!"

"Well it's obviously salty!" George said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Its blood flavored!" Lee added. Angelina choked and immediately took another swig of pumpkin juice.

"Who do they think they're serving? Vampires?" she said angrily as she pushed the plate away.

"Oh, it wasn't there until after we came." George smiled. Angelina looked at him angrily. He ducked as she through the rest of the toast at him, and it ended up hitting a fat Slytherin boy, who promptly picked it up and began eating.

"_That _is _disgusting," _Alicia said, wrinkling her nose. She turned back to her plate. "I think I'll skip breakfast for today."

"Marvelous choice, Alicia. You have no way of knowing what else has been tampered with. Good to know you have street smarts," George said smoothly.

Katie looked down at her own blood red jam and started to feel queasy. George was looking at Alicia and Angelina, smirking. Katie picked up her toast and dropped it on George's hair. He spun around to look at Katie instantly.

"What was that?" He peeled the toast off of his hair.

"You're hair seemed to be losing some of its color," Katie said in a mock thoughtful voice. George narrowed his eyes.

"Well played, but I'd watch my back if I were you."

"Being friends with you, I already do that," Katie said, getting up and shouldering her bag.

"You're leaving? Now?" Fred asked.

"It's a long way to the dungeons." She paused. "Not everyone has Transfiguration," she added bitterly, as she turned and walked out.

The dungeons weren't that far away, Katie had plenty of time. She strolled down the various corridors, and examined the paintings. She had passed them countless times but had never closely looked at them. She paused at a picture of a sunset. The pink and orange hues were painted with a delicate hand, and yellow light shone on the lush green grass. As she watched, a girl in a white frilly dress skipped onto the grass, pulling a handsome boy with her. They stopped in the middle of the painting and waved at Katie. Katie waved back.

"Hello, beautiful lady." The boy bowed deeply. The girl giggled.

"Oh, stop James!" she said pushing him gently. He pushed her back, and they toppled onto the grass laughing. Katie smiled.

"Are you lost?" the girl called in a delicate voice.

"No."

"Well, I'll see you around," the girl called as the boy pulled her out of the frame.

Katie turned a corridor and reached the steps leading down to the dungeons. She heard her footsteps on the cold, damp floor, and when she arrived at the classroom, she saw that she was the first one there. She walked to a cauldron at the back of the room and began arranging her ingredients. Once she had organized them she sat on her stool, and waited. Soon, students started trickling in and taking their seats. A Ravenclaw girl sat next to her and started arranging her ingredients. Soon the class was full of chattering. Suddenly, Professor Snape swooped in, wearing a wizard hat that was several sizes too big. His greasy hair was hidden from view.

"Open to page 73," he snapped. There was the sound of frantically turning pages and then silence once more. "Today, we will be having a little, pop quiz," Snape drawled evilly.

"What! We just had a test last class! We finished our unit!" A Ravenclaw boy yelled angrily.

"Consider it a pre-test," Snape said coldly.

"Pre-tests aren't graded!"

"Since you seem so eager to speak, I will take 10 points from Ravenclaw, and I'll see you in detention," Snape said cruelly. The boy glared at him, defiantly. It was rare to see such a rebellious Ravenclaw.

Snape began to say something about the proper use of Flobberworm Mucus, and didn't notice that the Ravenclaw boy was sneaking up behind him, an evil grin on his face. In a flash of purple, the boy whipped the hat off of Snape's head, revealing his hair. His usual greasy black hair was greasier than ever, but it was bright purple. The class burst into laughter. Snape snatched back his hat and replaced it on his head. His face was deathly white.

"I want everyone to concoct Herbicide," he yelled angrily. His hat was lopsided and strands of purple hair were hanging out off the sides. The class continued laughing. "Now! It will count for half of you're grade."

The class gave him murderous looks. They hadn't learned a thing about Herbicide yet.

Katie groaned, and pulled her mortar closer to her. She began to crush lionfish spines, and 50 minutes later, she had a perfectly brewed potion in front of her. She gently spooned the mixture into a vial and labeled it with her name. Having completed her assignment, she began to pack up her ingredients. She had just finished when Snape told them to turn in their potions. As soon as class ended, she was out the door. She marched to her dormitory, and put her bag next to her bed. Then she walked down to the common room and sat down on a plush armchair, by the fire. A few minutes later, the portrait hole opened and students poured inside, to deposit their bags. Her friends gathered in armchairs close to hers.

"How was you're Potions lesson, dear Katie?" George asked, grinning.

"Wonderful. Some immensely idiotic git, decided to give the rest of the school a pop quiz," Katie spat.

"I know, Snape can be so unfair."

"You know who I'm talking about you ungrateful little-"

"Katie, Katie, calm down!" George interrupted, looking slightly startled. "I didn't know you'd hate it that much. I'd reckoned we'd have a good laugh about it."

"You didn't have to deal with Snape's wrath! Just because _you _don't need to worry about having potions, doesn't mean other people don't. You might want to try having an ounce of sympathy for others!" Katie was yelling now.

"Katie, what's wrong?" Angelina asked gently.

"Nothing!" Katie spat. "And why are you supporting him? He gave you blood flavored jam!"

"Katie-" Angelina started.

"Oh sorry, I get it now. You must have made up in Transfiguration. Sorry, I wouldn't know since I was rotting away in Potions at the time. I seem to miss a lot of things, don't you think? Being the dumb little blonde of the group, who's always clueless? Rather stupid, wouldn't you say? Its fine, I understand, I'll just be leaving." Katie knew she was being stupid, but she was finally speaking her insecurities, and she wasn't about to stop.

"Katie, calm down," Lee said, frowning. "Is this all because you had to make Herbicide? It's really not that difficult; especially for someone with you're level of brewing. The hardest part is getting the heating right, but-"

"Lee, will you shut up?" Alicia asked, huffily. "Katie, you're not the dumb little blonde at all. We have most of our fun outside of class, with our best friend, Katie."

"That's balderdash, Alicia. That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard. I know it's not true."

Suddenly, Fred leapt into the room, smiling crazily.

"Hey, Katie-kinns!" he said beaming. "Did you enjoy Snape?" Katie caught sight of George making desperate motions for Fred to be quiet, and saw Lee hit himself in the head. Alicia and Angela looked worried.

"Did I enjoy Snape?" Katie said in a dangerous voice. Fred had noticed George, and was now looking worried.

"Pfft. That's not what I said. I said did you enjoy…er…shapes!"

"Did I enjoy shapes? What shapes? The shape of the cauldron that I had to use to brew Herbicide, for half of my grade, because of some dim-witted, idiotic, ginger headed twins?" Katie said, getting louder with each word.

"Er, no, I was talking about some other shapes. The ones from, uh, breakfast," Fred said nervously. Katie raised an eyebrow, and gestured for him to continue. "You know…the blue ones…that flew. I guess you missed them, maybe some other time." He gave a choked laugh, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Fred." Katie took a step closer.

"Also known as Gred! Or Forge!" Fred said enthusiastically.

"I'm going to the library." Katie went upstairs, grabbed her bag, and stalked out of the common room, fully aware of them gawking at her from behind.

**The ending is a bit strange, because originally the 1st and 2nd chapter were one long chapter, but I split them because...well I don't really know why. I'll post the next chapter based on how many reviews I get, and how many readers I get. There are a LOT of HP fanfictions out there so I don't expect too much :)**

**Please Review!**


	2. The Lies

Chapter 2 – The Lies

When Katie arrived at the library she saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione huddled around a stack of books.

"Lots of homework?" Katie asked suspiciously.

"Looking for a way to breathe underwater…" Harry said vaguely, turning a page. Hermione looked up from her thick red book (_Wand What You Want_).

"You look like you've been thinking about something," she said looking concerned.

"You do too."

"I've just been helping Harry with…homework," she said, averting her eyes.

"Oh please. We all know you're helping him with this second task thing. And the smarter ones know that despite him saying he's got it under control, he doesn't have the first clue as to what he's going to do," Katie said firmly. Hermione looked up nervously. Harry and Ron were still immersed in their books. "We won't tell, don't worry." Hermione looked relieved.

"Tell me what's on your mind, maybe I can help."

Katie considered this. Along with being super smart, Hermione probably had a lot of experience with being left out, having two boys for friends.

"Okay, but not in front of them," Katie said gesturing the boys. She led Hermione to a small table in a corner, and sat down, ready to tell her tale. "It's just that I hate being a year younger than my friends. I mean, I have friends in my year, but it's just not the same. That's why I got so upset today, even though the thing with Snape _was_ pretty funny."

"You shouldn't feel that way. You know they never leave you out of anything. If anything _does _happen in class, they explain it to you in great detail. They all consider you a great friend," Hermione said earnestly. "Some consider you a bit more," she added slyly.

"What does that mean?" Katie asked.

"Do you like anyone?" Hermione said abruptly.

"Huh?"

"Do you fancy anyone?"

"No, of course not," Katie said loudly. Hermione gave her a doubtful look. "Okay, maybe one person."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Since when are you one of the gossip girls?" Katie asked bewildered.

"I'm not. I'm just asking, as a friend." Hermione said defensively.

"Well, I'm not telling," Katie said angrily. She felt an odd pounding sensation in her chest. "It's Fred," she suddenly admitted. Hermione didn't look surprised.

"I figured."

"Is it that obvious?" Katie asked, worried.

"No, but I figured it was one of your friends…and you don't seem like the type to fall for Lee," Hermione said slowly.

"But why Fred and not George?"

"Well, you're a loud, bold person. Have you ever noticed that Fred's, a tad louder than George. He's the one who starts most jokes, and then George jumps in. I think you like that about him," Hermione said thoughtfully. Katie realized that was exactly why she liked Fred.

"You're good," Katie said with admiration for the bushy haired girl in front of her.

"Thanks," Hermione said distantly.

"There's something on your mind, other than Harry," Katie said suddenly. Hermione looked startled.

"A few things actually," she admitted. "That horrible Skeeter woman…Ron reckons she's out to get me next."

Katie thought that over. "You know what Hermione? Rita Skeeter is a joke, her articles are a joke, and any thing she writes about you is a joke. So, treat it like that. Don't treat it like it's serious, like Harry does. He gets so worked up over it, which makes people believe it's true. Don't do that. Treat it like a joke, laugh at it, and give waves to people reading it, whatever. Just show that it's not worth being serious about, or being worked up about. Treat it like a joke, and soon enough people will realize that that's what it is. And if anyone takes Rita's word over yours, then they're not worth your time anyways."

Hermione looked at Katie closely. "You're more than a bag of jokes," she mused.

"And you're more than a stack of books," Katie said smiling.

"Thanks for the advice. You're right, it's just a joke."

"I should probably go, happy searching," Katie said, getting up. She walked out of the library.

When she had arrived at the common room, and put away her bag, she approached the spot where her friends were huddled.

"Hey guys."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"You okay now?" Angelina asked. Katie nodded and sat down on a soft couch next to Lee. Fred looked at her with concern.

"Katie, you shouldn't feel left out, you know-" Fred began.

"I know," Katie said gently. "I was just being stupid."

"We thought you'd like the hair."

"I loved the hair. It was extremely funny," Katie said smiling. Everyone was giving her strange looks. "Guys I am _fine!_" she snapped. George cracked a smile.

"She's okay!"

Katie enjoyed the rest of Friday.

That night, Katie stayed up late once again, reading a Wizard fiction book (_The Magical Magic)_. She was sitting sideways on the couch with her feet up in front of her. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings.

_Sarah felt the warmth of the sun disappear, and raindrops began to fall, anxiously she pulled out her wand, desperate to save her…_

The lights suddenly flickered off. Katie gasped, and put down her book. She felt for her wand, but then remembered that it was up in her dorm. How stupid of her. She decided screaming would be her best option, so she opened her mouth and drew in a big gulp of air.

Before she could let the scream out, a hand clapped over her mouth, but gently.

"Shhh, no need to have the House attack me," a voice whispered.

"Fred?" Katie asked, instantly recognizing the voice. She opened her mouth to start yelling at him about scaring her, when something soft hit her lips. Her eyes widened when she realized that it was another pair of lips, namely Fred's. She felt her heart fluttering around, and her brain was doing a dance. He pulled away quickly and Katie felt him move away. The lights suddenly turned on, and she was alone in the common room. She blinked a couple of times to clear her brain. When her brain remained foggy, she decided to go to bed.

The next morning, Katie woke up to the sun flooding her bed, and stretched lazily. When she remembered what had happened the night before, her heart began to swell with joy. She dressed happily, humming the whole time, and skipped down the stairs.

"You seem happy," Lee said when she joined her friends in the Great Hall. Katie nodded and took a seat next to him. Fred sat across from her.

"D'you sleep well?" he asked casually. Katie raised an eyebrow.

"What was that, last night?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked smoothly.

"You came down, and turned off the lights, and-" Katie froze.

"And?" Fred prompted.

"And kissed me," Katie hissed, feeling herself turning red. To her great annoyance, Fred laughed.

"Kissed you?" he snorted through his loud laughter. "Wow, Katie, I never knew you dreamt about me," he said smiling.

"What? No! You were there! You came and kissed me! I didn't dream it," Katie said angrily. People at the table were turning to look at her.

"Really? Don't you think I'd remember kissing you?" Fred laughed. Katie bit her lip to stop the tornado of insults swarming in her mind. She got up abruptly, feeling extremely self-conscious with all the eyes on her.

"Fine, be that way!" she spat, turning away and hurrying to the dorm. In the hallway, she passed Dobby, who holding a ball of green slimy stuff. He looked at her with wide eyes. "Dobby, what's that?" Katie asked suspiciously.

"Gillyweed. But Miss Bell must not tell anyone that Dobby has it. Dobby will get in trouble," he said earnestly.

"I won't tell anyone," Katie said forcing a smile through her masked face.

"Miss Bell is very kind. Miss Bell is very understanding. Dobby is very grateful," Dobby said bowing so his nose touched the floor. "Dobby must be going now," he said, before hurrying off towards the library.

Katie briefly wondered what he was carrying in his long fingers, before turning back to the most crucial matter. Why was Fred lying to her?

**Please, please, please, review. **


	3. The Hex

Chapter 3 – The Hex

Katie walked up the stairs, thinking furiously. She was about to step onto a staircase, when she heard the sound of sobbing coming from her right. She turned and saw Fleur sitting on the stairs, crying.

"Fleur?" she asked cautiously, approaching the beautiful witch. Fleur looked up, and quickly wiped away her tears. "What's wrong?"

"Zey 'ave taken 'er. Gabrielle! She is gone! Zey 'ave taken 'er!" she sobbed.

"Who's taken her? Who's Gabrielle?" Katie asked soothingly. She didn't really like Fleur. She was snobbish, and held a very high opinion of herself. All she did was strut around the school, complaining about everything. Not to mention there was something off about her. All of the boys swooned over her. Ron had even gone as far as to ask her to the Yule ball. He had been so shocked by what he had done, he had run away.

Fleur sniffled. "Gabrielle is my sister. I 'ave to save 'er for zis second task. What if I can not do it?"

"Do you have a plan?" Katie asked, concerned.

"Yes, of course. I am always prepared," said Fleur.

"Well then, have faith in your plan," Katie said getting up. "Instead of crying you might be preparing."

"You are right. I am wasting my time." Fleur got up. "Thank you." She turned and stalked off. Katie walked back to the common room. She needed someone to talk to, but Hermione was no where to be seen. Angelina and Alicia were at breakfast, and Leanne was still asleep. Katie caught sight of Ginny sitting in a corner and approached her.

"Hey Ginny," Katie said, sitting down in an armchair next to her.

"Hello Katie," Ginny said smiling. Ginny was actually very funny, and her impressions were brilliant. Whenever Harry was nearby, however, she became more withdrawn.

"Your brother is a git."

"Ron? Yes I know. He really is quite stupid. He always has that dumb look on his face and-"

"Not Ron! Fred," said Katie, not really sure why she was telling Ginny this.

"What happened?" Ginny asked curiously. Katie explained what had happened the night before. "You're right."

"What?" Katie asked, puzzled.

"Fred _is_ a git." Ginny said sympathetically. "Just forget it. He'll enjoy seeing you all flustered, so act like nothing happened. It'll annoy him." Ginny smirked.

"Right. So how's it going with you and Harry?" Katie asked, leaning back.

"What?" said Ginny startled.

"Oh please. I'm not an idiot. I can see that you feel something for him," Katie said superiorly. Ginny smiled sadly.

"Hermione said he likes Cho."

"Chang?"

"How many Cho's do you know?"

"Good point," Katie said quietly. There was the distant sound of a bell. "Sounds like the second task is starting."

"Yeah, we better get going," Ginny said getting up. They walked out of the common room in a comfortable silence. "Do you have any idea what this second task is? Hermione refused to tell me."

"I think it has to do with going underwater." Sure enough when they arrived, the stands were set up to face the lake.

"See you later Katie," said Ginny, joining her friends. Katie spotted Angelina waving her over and went to join her friends. She was sitting at the end of the row, next to Fred.

"Hullo Katie," Fred said grinning. "Not still fantasizing are you?"

"Shut up Fred," Katie said angrily, looking straight ahead.

"Someone's grumpy," Fred muttered. Katie chose to ignore this. "Where's Harry?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"What?" Katie asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"Harry isn't here yet!" Fred said, this time much louder. There was a murmur of conversation in the crowd, and the Slytherins were smiling as if it were their birthdays.

"Looks like Potty got scared and bailed," Malfoy sneered, and the Slytherins shrieked with laughter.

"His friends couldn't save him this time. Not that stupid Weasel or the know-it-all squirrel," said Pansy, her voice dripping with pure delight. Katie felt Fred tense up next to her. "Must not have been anywhere in her books."

Malfoy laughed viscously. "And the Weasel would never have been able to help him. They're family can't even help themselves." Fred got up.

"Fred!" Katie said pulling him back down. "He's not worth it."

"Katie, let go," Fred said struggling against her. But Katie was strong, and she managed to keep him down. Angelina and Alicia were both restraining George, and Lee was glaring at Malfoy.

"Look, two of the Weasels. At least they have smart friends. They know they wouldn't stand a chance against us." Malfoy said, with an evil smirk.

"Oh please Malfoy," Katie spat. "We're only restraining them because we care about our friends, and don't want to see them going to Azkaban for murdering you."

"I'd like to see them try."

"You're a coward Malfoy, and you know it. One good slap from Hermione sent you running off with your cronies, crying and yelling for your daddy." Everyone but Slytherin began laughing, and even a few Slytherins could be seen snickering.

"You'll pay for that, Bell!" Malfoy hissed.

"Oh yes, I'm sure I will," said Katie, her words dripping with sarcasm. "You'll go call your daddy so he can kill me, right? You and you're Death Eater family, disgust me."

"Shut up!" Malfoy yelled, trembling with anger.

"You're weak Malfoy," Katie continued, unfazed by Malfoy reaching for his wand. "I could beat you in a fight, right now. Face it. Without your daddy and cronies, you're nothing."

Malfoy lunged, his wand ready and cast a hex that Katie couldn't hear because of the screams. The spell never hit her though, because at the last minute a shield appeared in front of her, blocking the spell. Katie was confused. She had never cast a shield charm. She turned and saw Fred holding his wand out, an expression of determination on his face.

"Do you want to hex the living daylights out of him, or shall I?" he said, his voice trembling with rage.

"No point, there's nothing living in the scumbag," said Katie, glaring at Malfoy, who had been knocked onto the ground. "Retaliating Shield?" she questioned. Fred simply nodded.

There was one shield that absorbed the spell, and another that bounced it back at the caster. The second one was more advanced magic, but it seemed like the kind of thing Fred would have learned.

Katie approached Malfoy. "He's bald!" she said in surprise. Malfoy looked very different without his blonde hair. People were snickering from around the stands.

"Instant scalping hex," Fred identified from behind her. Katie smiled.

"Thank god you blocked it. I would look hideous without hair," she said, stroking her hair.

"You would look fine," Fred said, looking at her carefully. "Better than him at least," he added, gesturing Malfoy. Pansy was pushing through the crowd to reach him. When she saw him, she shrieked and took a step back. This only led to more laughter.

"Get out of the way," a commanding voice called, and the students began to part, making a path to Malfoy. Professor McGonagall strode forward, and knelt beside Malfoy. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Pansy shrieked. "He's bald, that's what happened!" She began to wail.

"Instant scalping hex," George chimed in.

"Who performed it," the professor asked curtly.

"Malfoy did," Lee said grinning.

"Why would he hex himself? And Lee, wipe that smirk off your face." Lee obeyed. McGonagall was the only person he was slightly afraid of, but they still had a good relationship.

"He was trying to hex me," Katie offered. "But Fred cast a Retaliating Shield." Professor McGonagall nodded.

"That's impressive magic," she said, slightly impressed. "Since there is no damage done, there is no need to alert Madame Pomfrey."

"No damage? I'm bald!" said Malfoy, feeling his head, his eyes wide.

"You got everything that was coming to you, Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "You can't go around hexing people. Which reminds me, 20 points from Slytherin."

"20!" Millicent Bulstrode cried.

"30, if you argue." The Slytherins kept their mouths shut, and Professor McGonagall turned and left.

"You'll pay for this," Malfoy said, getting up.

"I was supposed to pay for it this time too, and look what happened," said Katie, smirking. "But that really was some brilliant magic. Bravo." Malfoy gave her a death glare before turning and walking back to his seat, his bald head glistening. The Gryffindors burst into applause. Katie felt Fred hug her.

"That was brilliant," he whispered into her ear.

"You weren't too bad yourself," Katie murmured, returning the hug. For some reason it felt strange to hug him. Katie felt something fluttering in her chest. Fred pulled away and looked at her earnestly.

"You're okay, right? Got all your hair," he asked, looking her over. Katie laughed.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to your brilliant shield spell." She pushed him away, gently. He took her hand and led them to their seats. Her friends all congratulated her for knocking Malfoy down a peg.

Katie was feeling pretty proud of herself too.

**Hope you enjoyed seeing Malfoy get owned :)**

**PLEASE review! **

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	4. The Plot

Chapter 4 – The Plot

"Look, Harry's here," George shouted suddenly. Katie turned and saw Harry running towards the Judge's table. Ludo Bagman announced the games and then a whistle blew. Cedric and Fleur both pulled out their wands and cast a Bubble-Head charm. They immediately dived in. Viktor Krum partly transfigured himself into a shark, and then dived in himself. That left Harry, who waded out in the lake.

"What is he doing?" Fred said softly. Katie watched as Harry pulled out a ball of slimy green stuff and ate it. Then he sank underwater. "What was that?"

"Gillyweed!" Katie said abruptly.

"Pardon me?" said Fred, confusion etched on his face.

"Gillyweed," Katie repeated. "I saw Dobby with it earlier! He must have given it to Harry! Makes sense, he worships him…"

"He's good, that Dobby character," Fred said, smiling.

"Don't tell anyone, or he'll get in trouble. I have a feeling he took that out of Snape's private stores."

"That house-elf is growing on me," said Fred with a smile. "How do you know he took it from Snape?"

Katie blushed slightly. "I may have broken into his stores."

"Why?"

"Remember when Lee was green for a week?" Katie asked. Fred nodded. "Well the potion for that required bicorn horn, which is only in Snape's private stores."

"You broke into Snape's private stores?" Fred said, grinning. Katie nodded. "That's why I love you."

"What?" Had Fred just said he…loved her? No, not possible.

"What?" he asked as though nothing had happened.

"Don't you what me!" Katie said angrily standing up.

"What?" he repeated blankly. Katie glared at him. "Sorry…excuse me?" Katie groaned and began muttering things that were uncomplimentary to ginger twins. "Alright, you've officially gone mad." That. Was. It.

"You know what, Fred. I've had enough of this. Make up your bloody mind! You kiss me, than say I'm dreaming. You say you love me, and then go dumb all of a sudden. I can't handle much more of this." The whole stadium had abandoned trying to see the competition through the water, and was now staring at Katie and Fred.

"Katie," Fred said quietly, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her down. She didn't budge. "You're making a scene."

"I'm making a scene am I? As if you've ever cared about getting attention! You know what Fred? You can just take you're broomstick and shove it up your-"

Someone clapped a hand over her mouth, stopping her sentence. She realized it was George, and immediately began lashing out, as he tried to drag her away. Obviously, he was worried she would give Fred a black eye or something. She struggled furiously, kicking madly at any part of him she could see. Eventually Lee joined in the efforts, and she gave up, allowing them to drag her out of the stands and in front of the castle. The minute they let go, she spun around and kicked, not caring what her foot hit. It turned out to be George's shin.

"OW!" he yelled in pain, standing on one foot as he held is hurt shin. Katie took her chance and kicked his other shin, sending him sprawling on the grass. "Ow!" he repeated, but with less enthusiasm.

"How dare you drag me away like that?" she said viciously, spinning around and kicking Lee in the shin too. He did the same thing George did, and one kick later, he was sprawled on the grass too. "You boys never learn," Katie muttered with satisfaction. She turned and saw Alicia and Angelina running to join them. They took in the sight of the two boys lying on the grass, clutching their feet.

"Did you do that?" Angelina asked, raising an eyebrow. Katie nodded. "Nice."

"Where is Fred? Hiding in the stands?" Katie asked, still fuming.

"Katie! Is what you said true? Did Fred really kiss you," Alicia asked her eyes wide.

"And did he say he loved you?" Angelina added.

"Yeah, but he keeps denying it," said Katie, irritation biting her insides. Angelina grabbed her forearm and pulled her inside the castle, into the deserted Great Hall. They sat down at the Gryffindor table, and began to talk.

"You're going to do something about it, right?" Alicia asked, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"You bet I am. I just need to figure out what it is," said Katie, discouraged.

"We'll help you figure it out. But first, let's go finish watching the tournament," Angelina said getting up. They walked out of the hall, and down the stairs. Lee and George had left, probably to join Fred and tell him he owed them.

They arrived at the stadium and sat in the first row next to some Ravenclaw girls. The lake's surface was undisturbed, and judging by the bored looks and idle conversations, nothing had happened.

Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Katie had a feeling Madame Pomfrey wasn't about to help him grow back his hair, and he was probably off looking for a spell to make it come back. Katie had seen many advertisements for Hair-Growth Potions in the Daily Prophet, but most of them were for wizards in their late 60's. Still, Snape wouldn't hesitate to brew one right up for Malfoy.

Katie stayed uncharacteristically quiet, trying to sort out her thoughts. About 10 minutes after arriving, Malfoy had appeared once more, though his hair was considerably more straw like. People laughed as he walked up the stands and Katie was sure she saw him mutter, "Wait till my father hears about this." Suddenly there was a loud shout.

"Is that Fleur?" Katie's head snapped up and she scanned the lake. She saw a group of Wizards pulling a struggling Fleur out of the water.

"Gabrielle!" she screamed, kicking wildly. "She is in zere! I 'ave to save 'er, I 'ave to." She tried to break free, but to no avail. Finally she slumped over and began to sob uncontrollably. Katie felt sorry for her.

Everyone was watching the beautiful girl in tears, when someone yelled, "Its Cedric!" Everyone craned their necks to see the lake, and sure enough, Cedric Diggory was wading out with Cho in his arms. As his head broke the surface, the bubble around his head popped. He collapsed on the side of the lake, shivering uncontrollably. The school watched in shock, before loud applause broke out, mainly from Hufflepuff.

Madame Pomfrey bustled over immediately, wrapping them tightly in a blanket so they couldn't move and handing them steaming cups of cocoa. They accepted them gratefully as she began a full inspection.

Before long, Viktor Krum appeared in his half Transfigured form. "_Oh, that's where Hermione was_," Katie thought as he dropped her onto the sand. He took out his wand weakly and un-Transfigured himself. Soon Madame Pomfrey was upon him and Hermione too. Katie watched anxiously, looking for any sign of Harry.

Then, suddenly, a dark-haired head popped up from the surface, carrying a familiar red-head and a mini Fleur. Katie supposed she was Gabrielle. He pulled them along, struggling to the shore, and when he reached, he collapsed with exhaustion. Fleur flung herself at her sister, crying and sobbing. Ron, who had woken up, was looking at Harry as though he were about to be sent to a slaughter-house. There was lots of activity as Dumbledore bent to talk to the Merman leader. Finally, they announced the points.

Katie was delighted to know that Harry had tied Cedric for first. She really wanted him to win after that Quidditch loss the year before. She felt very happy as she walked back to the school.

She was in high spirits as she settled herself on a couch with Angelina and Alicia.

"We need a plan," Alicia said slowly.

"Clearly," Angelina said shortly, "but what can we do?" Alicia shrugged.

"I don't know. You _know _I'm not the devious one."

"Oh, we know," Katie said smiling. "But seriously, any ideas?"

"What if…" Angelina began slowly, "we did the one thing a boy can't stand?" She was smirking uncontrollably now.

"Please enlighten us Angie dear," said Katie, waving her hand for her to continue.

"Jealousy," Angelina said quietly. Katie just stared at her. "Come on, we know he likes you!"

"What if he doesn't?"

"Well, then no harm is done," Angelina said simply. Katie turned this over in her mind. Angelina turned to Alicia and said, "What do you think?"

"It's not a bad idea," Alicia said slowly, "but it requires us to find a guy willing to pass as Katie's boyfriend." Katie glared at her.

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" she asked angrily.

"I didn't mean it like that," Alicia said calmly. "I just meant they have to be willing to put on this entire drama. And it should be someone Fred knows well, to make him even angrier."

"Who do you have in mind?" Angelina asked. "George would never do it."

"True, but I might just be able to convince Lee," said Alicia with a sly smile.

"What if he refuses?" Angelina asked. "He'll ruin the whole game by telling Fred."

"Oh, I have my ways," Alicia said in the same sneaky tone. "He'll agree. Don't worry, by tomorrow morning Lee will be sitting here with us, plotting."

"Whatever," Katie began, "but I am _not _kissing him."

"Fair enough," Alicia said with a shrug. "I'm off to talk to Lee."

And so the plot was hatched. Lee and Katie were going to make Fred jealous, until he confessed.

**Sorry about a late update. Ideas are at a very high level now! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE**

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	5. The Doubts

Chapter 5 – The Doubts

"You girls are being stupid," Lee said simply, leaning back in his armchair. He and the three girls were sitting in a corner of the common room, waiting for breakfast to begin.

"How so?" Alicia asked scathingly.

"You're overreacting. Fred saying he loves you? It was probably in a friendly way. Friends say that sometimes, haven't you seen?"

"No, this time was…different," Katie said stubbornly. Lee shook his head.

"Maybe it was different because you wanted it to be," he said shrugging. "It doesn't mean he actually loves you."

"But then why did he kiss her?" Angelina asked triumphantly.

"You don't have any proof that it was him."

"I know it was him," Katie insisted.

"Because it sounded like him? Someone could have been imitating his voice," Lee said. Katie frowned. Lee was making some good points, and she was starting to wonder if maybe she was overreacting.

"Maybe you're right," she said slowly.

"What? No!" Angelina said. "Lee, shut up! You're discouraging her!"

"No, he's right, we're being stupid." Lee grinned victoriously.

"Wait!" Alicia said suddenly. "If he didn't mean anything when he said he loves her, why did he deny that he said it?"

"Well technically he didn't deny it…"

"Why did he play dumb?" Alicia continued unfazed.

"Well, Alicia dear, when a boy sees a girl suddenly get excited and, well, hyper and then she starts demanding that he repeat himself, it sets off alarm bells in his head," Lee said coolly. "So, you can't blame him for playing dumb."

"I don't know," Angelina said. "It all seems like a matter of opinion. I say that we just go with the plan as planned before. Like we said earlier, if he doesn't like Katie, no harm is done. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot."

Alicia nodded but Katie was still skeptical. Seeing this Alicia said, "Katie, I've seen the way Fred looks at you. I really think something is there besides friendship."

"And we all know you like him back," Angelina added.

Katie's eyes widened in horror. "It's really that obvious?" she asked, thinking of the way Hermione had guessed it too. Angelina shook her head.

"We only know because we're your friends," Alicia said.

"Yeah, I had no idea," Lee said. "Until now," he added slyly.

"You say a word Jordan, and I will charm a Bludger so it chases you around till Christmas," Katie said venomously. Lee had the decency to sink lower into his armchair.

"Listen, here's what I think you girls should do. Be normal today, as in completely normal. No random outbursts," he said, directing the statement at Katie. "And if you still notice something, then continue with the plan."

"Fair enough," Alicia agreed. "Let's go down to breakfast, it should be starting soon and I happen to know Ron is particularly hungry today, so he'll probably be eating more than usual."

"Is that possible?" Angelina said dryly as they made their way out of the portrait hole.

"Wait, Angelina! I need to ask you something," Katie said, remembering suddenly. Angelina turned to look questioningly at her. "It's about Fred. You know…you went to the Yule Ball together and…"

"Stop right there. There is nothing going on between me and Fred. We went as friends, not as a couple. I have no interest in Fred as a boyfriend." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "In all honestly, I think I may fancy George."

"Shut up!" Katie said loudly. Angelina hushed her.

"Don't tell anyone," she pleaded. "I have a reputation to uphold." "And I don't?"

"I'm supposed to be hard to get. Lee's played it up like that over the commentary. Stating that I denied him…he's never asked me! Don't tell Alicia either, she doesn't understand what it's like to fall in love with a Weasley twin." Katie smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone…but Hermione probably already knows." The girls made their way down to breakfast and joined Alicia and Lee, who were sitting near the twins.

They were listening intently as Ron recounted the events of the lake. "They kidnapped us! And then, fifty heavily armed merpeople, attacking the four of us. They were giving everyone potions, they were. They came to me and I said, 'I'm not drinking that' and I knocked it out of their hands! By then the other three were in a deep sleep, unable to protect themselves. The merpeople were furious! They began to attack me but I fought back! That too single-handedly! Eventually, they overpowered me. Fifty to one, the chances weren't good but I held on for a good hour. After that, they managed to beat me into submission and tie me up!" he said dramatically.

"You can't honestly expect anyone to believe that Ron," Hermione said once he was finished.

"She's right Ron. You wouldn't last a minute against just one merperson, let alone fifty," Fred said snickering.

"With fifty merpeople, let's just say you wouldn't be sitting there with eggs falling out of your mouth," George added.

"So tell us Hermione. What really happened?" Fred asked.

"Well, we were called to Professor McGonagall's office. Cho and Gabrielle were already there. Dumbledore was there and he assured all of us that we would be safe and would wake up when we were back above water. Then he put us into a bewitched sleep. That's really all there was to it," Hermione explained, shooting a look at Ron.

"Hermione, you can't tell such a boring story. You have to beef it up a bit!" he complained.

"Oh so you mean change it from being bewitched by Dumbledore to being beaten by fifty merpeople?" Hermione said waspishly. Ron turned slightly red at this.

"You go Hermione!" George said approvingly.

"Well done Granger," a drawling voice said from behind Katie. She turned and saw Malfoy looking smug as always. "I see you're Krum's possession he would miss most. What will he miss you as, a slave?" He and his cronies snickered.

"Jealous that it wasn't you he'd miss most?" Harry said calmly. Malfoy sneered.

"Look it's Potty. Didn't expect you to still be alive," he jeered.

"Didn't expect you to still be running your mouth," Katie said, making her presence known. "I thought going bald would release some of that hot air in your head but I guess not."

"He went bald?" Harry asked looking bewildered.

"The git decided to get smart. While I was knocking him down a peg he decided to jinx me. Fred here cast a Retaliating Shield so the Instant Scalping Hex hit Malfoy instead," Katie said warmly. "It really was wonderful."

"Hey Malfoy, I'm sure you looked great bald!" Ron said laughing. Malfoy turned and walked away, his cronies following him. "I can't believe I missed seeing that!"

"It was quite a sight little bro," George said grinning.

"You cast a Retaliating Shield?" Hermione asked Fred, admiration in her voice. "That's really advanced magic." Fred grinned.

"I'm an advanced wizard," he said shrugging. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to watch Ron, who was now telling the story to a group of second years. Fred was looking at a piece of parchment that George was writing on. "No, no, no! You can't be so nice to him George, he's playing dirty. If he brings out the dirt, we bring out the mud."

George looked doubtful. "I don't think it's a good idea. He's in the Ministry."

"Exactly, he's in the Ministry yet he's still pulling tricks like this. I always liked him but he's taken things too far. That was all of our savings!"

"What _are _you talking about," Katie asked bewildered. Fred looked at her, almost cautiously.

"Nothing," he and George said in unison.

"You're up to something, we're not stupid," Angelina said coldly.

"Good to know. Sometimes, we wonder…"

"You're trying to blackmail someone, aren't you?" Katie said suddenly. "Someone from the Ministry of Magic!"

The way their eyes widened told her she was right. "Don't be ridiculous," George said, recovering from his earlier shock.

"Who is it? Who's playing dirty?" Katie pressed on. "If you don't tell me…I'll…I'll…write to your mother!"

Fred snorted. "Write to out mother?"

"Angie do you have a spare piece of parchment and a quill?" Katie said calmly, watching as Fred paled slightly.

"I have some parchment," Angelina said, reaching into her bag.

"And I think I have a quill here somewhere," Alicia said digging around in her own bag. They handed the items to Katie.

"Dear Mrs. Weasley," said Katie, writing as she spoke. "I have recently found out that your sons, Fred and George, are planning to blackmail someone from the Ministry of Magic. I thought you should know. Sincerely, Katie Bell," she said, signing her name with a flourish. "I'll just go up to the Owlery and send this after breakfast…"

"No!" George yelled, finally cracking. "We'll tell you, we'll tell you!"

"How cruel of you," Fred muttered, "bringing our mother into the matter." Katie smiled brightly.

"Spill."

"Ludo Bagman."

"Shut up! You're kidding? He's playing dirty? What did he do?" Katie fired the questions in rapid succession.

"Not kidding," Fred said simply. "We made a bet at the Quidditch World Cup and we won. Bagman paid us in Leprechaun gold."

"He didn't!"

"He did," George said glumly.

"As you know, it disappeared. We confronted him, told him he made a mistake, but you know what the slimy git told us?"

"He told us that we're too young to gamble and he wouldn't give us a Knut!" George finished furiously. Angelina gasped.

"We told him to give us our money back, but he refused!" Fred continued.

"That's horrible! You'd think someone like Bagman would have enough money to pay up, or at least return your money!"

"That's why we're trying to blackmail him," Fred explained.

"Hold up, he owes my dad money too. Dad was fuming about it over summer. Apparently he owes some goblins money too, and you know how goblins are," Lee said. "He's deep in the hole."

"Yeah, well if we don't get our money I'll make sure he dies in a hole," Fred said angrily. "All our savings, gone!"

"That's horrible!" Alicia said sympathetically.

Katie returned her attention to the plate in front of her. When she looked up she saw Fred staring at her. Alicia nudged her and gave her a pointed look and encouraging nod, before stomping on Lee's foot and doing the same to him.

"What do I do?" he hissed once Fred and George were immersed in another conversation.

"Make Fred jealous!" Alicia hissed back.

"How?"

"Um…compliment Katie!" Angelina supplied, straightening up just as Fred turned back to the group.

"So, you'll help us right?" he asked.

"With what?" Angelina asked.

"With the scum Bagman! You'll help us right?" George said.

"Oh, yes of course!" Angelina said. She shot a look at Lee.

"With Katie on our side, we're bound to win. She's brilliant!" Lee said enthusiastically. Alicia kicked him under the table. "And beautiful," he added, glaring at Alicia.

Katie wasn't really paying attention. She was making a smiley face out of her scrambled eggs. Alicia kicked her as well.

"What?" she asked, completely disjointed.

"Lee just called you brilliant and beautiful," Angelina prompted.

"He did? Th-that's so sweet!" Katie said. Alicia looked at her pointedly, telling her without words to continue. "Y-you're quite brilliant yourself!"

"What terrible acting," Angelina hissed. Lee was making the most of it though. He had made a scene of blushing, clumsily knocked over a glass of pumpkin juice and then proceeded to stare at his plate. Had Katie not know the truth, she would have thought he was head over heels for her. He certainly was good at acting.

As soon as his food was finished, he mumbled, "Got some homework to do," before leaving the Great Hall, making sure to trip on the way.

"What's got into him?" George asked.

"I don't know but I'll bet he has a crush on someone. The lost look, the blushing, being clumsy all of a sudden…Lee is in love!" Alicia said dreamily. "I wonder who the girl is." She made sure to let this sink in before saying, "Katie, have you got any homework?"

"No, I finished it on Friday night."

"Oh, I and Angie still have a report to write for potions. Come on, we'd better get a move on," Alicia said, dragging Angelina out of the hall with her.

"Oh no, I forgot all about the Potions report. Come on Fred, we've got to finish it or Snape will have us in detention for a lifetime. He's already upset with us," George said, getting up. "See you later Kates!" He and Fred left the Great Hall together.

Ginny immediately slid into the seat across from Katie. "Spill," she said simply, pouring herself some pumpkin juice and picking a blueberry muffin from a platter.

"What?"  
"Lee acting in love all of a sudden! What's up?" Katie smiled. Ginny certainly was smart. She explained the plan while Ginny picked at her muffin. "Hmmm, not bad…actually it's very good. I'm sure it'll work. Did you see Fred? He was already quieter than usual! And Lee's acting is brilliant!"

"I don't know," Katie said slowly. "What if I'm wrong about the whole thing and Fred doesn't really like me?"  
"Not possible. The way Fred reacted…trust me, if I know my brother, he's crushing on you!" Ginny said happily. "And what better way to prove it, then to mess with him? Anyway, now that I know, I assume you'll accept my help! Nothing obvious, it'll be very subtle. I'll drop little hints that Lee and you like each other, to get him jealous. Oh, this will be lovely!"

Katie smirked. "Yes. I'm sure we can have some fun with this."

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	6. The Row

Chapter 6 – The Row

**Look at that! I updated! And, I think I owe anyone reading and following an apology. I am so sorry for the late update. I wrote a fairly long chapter to try and make up for it. Read On!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings. All rights go to the BRILLIANT J.K Rowling**

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Katie was sitting in the Common Room. The rest of her friends were busy with homework. She watched uninterestedly as Angelina and George began to argue over something stupid. She glanced outside the window, and saw Harry, Ron and Hermione talking.

"Hey…er…um…a…" Katie turned and saw Lee standing next to her seat, looking extremely awkward. Katie gave him a worried look. Lee winked, and Katie understood. The drama was back on.

"Hey, Lee, what's up?" she said, as warmly as possible. Lee fidgeted and blushed a little. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred watching them.

"I was just wondering if maybe…you wanted to…um…" he trailed off, and his expression became panicked. "Playsomewizardchesswithme," he burst, his words tripping over each other.

"What?"

"Play some Wizard Chess with me," Lee repeated, this time very slowly.

"Oh…uh…sure…I would love to," Katie stuttered, hoping she sounded smitten.

"Great," Lee said, looking relieved. "I'll just-"

"No time for that!" Fred interrupted, scrambling up from his armchair, dislocating many papers in the process. "Right now, I need a study snack. Let's hit the kitchens!" His cheerful voice sounded forced, and Katie had trouble hiding the smile that was threatening to creep across her face.

"Fred, don't be ridiculous. Lunch is in an hour, you'll spoil your appetite if you eat now," Angelina chided.

"Alright, mother," Fred scowled.

"So, how about that game of chess," Katie said, looking at Lee.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Fred broke in. "Come on, it'll be fun. The fresh air will help us get this work done!" Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Katie's hand and pulled her up and out the door.

"FRED! What are you doing?" Katie demanded as he led her down the stairs.

"Going for a walk!" Fred called. With some difficulty, Katie stopped on a step and wrenched her hand from Fred's grip. He turned and looked up at her.

"Fred Weasley, what is the meaning of this?"

"Fresh air!" Fred said, "Come on, let's go!"

"Fred Weasley!" Katie repeated, this time more forcefully. She really didn't like the idea of having this argument on the stairs, which had a bad habit of moving. "You know I was about to play Wizard Chess with Lee. Why would you just pull me away like that?"

"I-" Katie never found out what he was about to say, because just then the staircase decided to move. Katie lost her balance and slipped. She would have tumbled to the bottom had Fred not caught her by the waist and pulled her down so they were both sitting. Extremely close, one might add. The stairs ground to a halt and the only sound was Katie's heavy breathing.

"Thanks," Katie breathed, standing up shakily. Fred shrugged.

"I wasn't about to let you fall, now was I?" He stood up next to her and took a deep breath. "If you want to go play chess with Lee, it's fine," he said, though he sounded regretful over what he was saying. On a sudden impulse, Katie's hand shot out and grabbed his.

"There's really no point now, is there?" Fred shrugged, leading Katie to roll her eyes. "I think I could use a walk now." Fred's signature grin returned.

"Marvelous. Let us go, dear Katie-kinns," he said, bowing and extending a hand.

"Git," Katie muttered, pushing his hand away and walking ahead. Fred caught up with her as they stepped outside. The sun was shining and there was the perfect breeze.

"Delightful day, wouldn't you say my dear," he said, bouncing along next to her.

"It will be as soon as you stop talking," Katie answered.

"Oh, how you pain me." They walked around the lake like that for a while, Fred saying funny things and doing uncanny impressions of the professors while Katie laughed until her sides hurt.

"Do Snape," Katie said through her giggles.

"There will be no foolish wand waving and pointless muttering in my class," Fred said, in a drawl exactly like Snape's. "Bell! Don't you know the difference between Monkswood and Wolfbane? Or are you too thick-skulled to understand it?"

"They're the same thing," Katie said, pushing him. "There is no difference."

"I beg to differ. They are spelt differently."

"That doesn't count," Katie laughed. She was about to say something more, when a large cloud rolled overhead, darkening everything. "Looks like rain," Katie mused. They were standing on the side of the lake that was farthest from the castle.

"Let's go back to the Common Room then," Fred said indifferently.

"It's too far, we'll get caught in the rain," Katie said, shaking her head. She scanned the surroundings, looking for some place where they could escape it. Her eyes fell upon a small shack that was on the brink of collapsing. It looked like it could fit about 3 people. "What's that?" she asked Fred, pointing to it.

"I dunno. My money is on old broom shed."

"You know you're not in any position to gamble anymore," Katie reminded.

"I know," Fred growled. He started walking towards the shack. The door creaked in complaint as he opened it. Katie looked inside and saw that most of the room had been taken up by old brooms. "There should be enough room. Man these brooms are as good as antiques." Katie followed him inside and the door swung closed.

"_Oakshaft 79_," Katie read off the handle of a broom. "These are ancient."

"That's what I've been saying," Fred said, browsing through the brooms. Katie continued to read the names of the brooms. All of a sudden, there was the sound of heavy thumping all around the shack. "Sounds like the rain started," Fred announced.

"What kind of broom is named _Dustkisser_?" Katie asked, wrinkling her nose.

"One that doesn't sell very well," Fred said wisely, turning to face her. There wasn't much space in the shack, and they were extremely cramped. "Well, this is uncomfortable."

"Oh no, I love being this close to a red-headed git."

"Admit it. You're in love," Fred smirked. Katie suddenly saw this as an opportunity to advance her plan.

"I am," she said, trying hard to sound love-sick.

"You are?" Fred asked hesitantly. Fred was rarely hesitant. "Who is it?"

"I'm not telling you." Katie wished she could blush on command.

"George?"  
"Ew, no!" Katie said immediately.

"Me?" he sounded almost hopeful, and it gave Katie a warm and fuzzy feeling. She forced herself to contain it.

"Of course not," she lied, hoping she sounded convincing. His smile shrank considerably.

"Then who? Lee?" Katie widened her eyes and began playing with her hands, the way Lee had done in the Great Hall. She looked at the floor, hoping she looked embarrassed.

"No," she said weakly, trying to sound unconvincing.

"Blimey, it's Lee, isn't it? Are you crazy?" Fred spat, sounding disgusted. "I can't believe that you – of all the people – _how could you_?"

Katie, prideful as she was, felt herself getting angry. How could Fred have the audacity to be mad at her? She could like whoever she wanted. What right did he have to question her? "_How could I_?" Katie said, her voice rising. "How could I? What is that supposed to mean. I can do whatever the hell I want, what gives _you _the right to question me? You don't own me Fred, I don't have to answer your questions or do anything to please you. I'm not a little toy for you to play with whenever you get the chance."

"Katie-" Fred started warily, but Katie didn't plan on letting him interrupt her rant.

"Oh, I'm bored, nothing's happening. Why don't I just kiss Katie, and then claim that she's hallucinating? Why don't I just mess with her and her emotions and make her feel conflicted. It'll be a good laugh," she shouted bitterly. "Well did you have a nice laugh, Fred? Are you enjoying the show?"

"Of course you would go and drag old matters into this," Fred said, starting to get angry too.

"Old? That's hardly an old matter," Katie said venomously.

"You know what-"

"No, I don't know what. And I have no intention of finding out." She spun on her heel and marched out the door, slamming it behind her. The rain was sharp and cold, stinging her skin. Katie marched towards the castle, too busy fuming to notice.

Old matter, huh? Ha! If that was _old matter_, Katie was as old as a _Dustkisser_. She was furious as she stomped up the stairs and into the castle, leaving a trail of water in the halls as she walked towards the Common Room. Had Filch been around, he would have requested that she be hanged by her thumbs. Katie really didn't care at the moment. The ghosts scattered as she marched through, muttering angrily at her. When she arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait, she irritably barked the password and stomped in. Angelina jumped up in alarm when she saw the fury so obviously painted on Katie's face.

"Katie, what's wrong?" she asked, looking worried. Katie ignored her and stomped up to her dormitory. Lucky for her, it was empty. Angrily, she kicked a wall and screamed in frustration.

"Katie?" a timid voice asked. Katie spun around, ready to yell at whoever had dared to interrupt her rage. She saw Alicia looking in, concerned, with Angelina a little bit behind her. "What's wrong?"

Katie, who was still angry, blew up all over again. "What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? Fred is what's wrong. The nerve of him. How _could I?_ How could _he? _What gives him the right to-"

"Katie, tell us what happened," Alicia pleaded.

"Yeah," Angelina broke in, "You're probably just overreacting anyway."

That set Katie off all over again. "Overreacting, am I? On his side, are you? I should've known. You're in the same year, I should've known you would be on the same team, and here I was trusting you! But no, I'm just _overreacting_."

"Katie, come on. You're being stupid," Alicia said gently.

"You shut it, Spinnet. I don't need to hear you calling me stupid," Katie said heatedly, but already she was feeling her initial anger starting to subside. What had she just done? Her head started to clear as she realized all the damage she had just caused. "Oh no," she groaned, sinking onto her bed with her head in her hands. Her friends looked puzzled by the sudden change of mood.

Taking her chances, Alicia asked, "Are you ready to tell us what happened?" Katie nodded.

"I had a row with Fred. I ruined the entire plan."

"What exactly happened," Angelina inquired. Katie launched in to the story, explaining what happened since they had left the Common Room. "That's not that bad!" Angelina exclaimed when she was finished.

"Yes it is," Katie moaned.

"No! In fact, it makes our plan work even better!" Angelina began pacing the room. "You got defensive _over Lee. _This just enforces the idea that you like him. And now you can go get comfort from Lee, making Fred even more jealous!"

"That's brilliant," Alicia muttered in awe. "I'll go let Lee know!" She got up and left, leaving Katie and Angelina.

"So, what exactly do I need to do?" Katie asked.

"Just act upset. Lee will handle the rest," Angelina said, smiling. "That boy can act." Katie nodded in agreement. A minute later, Alicia reappeared at the door.

"Lee's been briefed. You can go down now. Just act upset, he'll handle the rest," she informed, her voice tinted with admiration. Katie took a deep breath and walked out, glancing back at her friends who had encouraging smiled plastered on their faces.

She met Ginny on the stairs. "Fred's upset, what happened," she asked immediately. Katie told her what had happened, and the next stage of the plan. "That's good," Ginny said thoughtfully. "You do that, leave, and then I'll come in and close the show. I have the perfect idea."

"Smashing," Katie grinned, as she started down the stairs again. Fred, George and Lee were sitting in a corner of the Common Room. Lee met her eyes and winked. Katie tried to adopt an upset look, which wasn't difficult considering the fight she had just had with Fred.

"Katie, are you all right," Lee called, getting up and walking towards her. He took her hand hesitantly and pulled her to the spot where he was sitting with the twins. He gently pushed her on to a couch and sat next to her. Fred was examining the floor with newfound interest. "What's wrong?" Lee asked soothingly.

"Nothing," Katie mumbled. Lee looked at her, trying to read her face. Or, that's what it looked like. In reality, it was all just a show.

"Katie, I can tell something is wrong. Did someone upset you?" he asked, his face becoming determined. "Who was it?"

Katie glanced at Fred who was glaring at Lee. "It's nothing Lee."

"Will you come outside with me?" Lee asked abruptly. "I mean, only if you want to."

Katie smiled. "I'd love to," she said softly, intertwining her fingers with his. Needless to say, it was extremely awkward considering they were friends. Lee smiled at her as they got up together.

"See you at lunch, I suppose," Lee said, grinning widely as he and Katie walked out. As soon as the portrait closed behind them, they released hands. "That was strange," Lee complained.

"Tell me about it," Katie agreed.

"Funny thing is, you and Fred haven't even admitted your feelings to each other, yet you're already fighting like an old married couple," Lee said playfully.

"You really think he likes me?"

"I was skeptical at first," Lee admitted, "but now I'm pretty sure you were right. There's definitely something going on here. We've just got to get Fred to talk. Won't be easy, mind you, Fred can be stubborn as a mule."

"I've noticed," Katie said dryly. There was the sound of footsteps, and Katie turned to see Alicia running towards them, 2 brooms in hand. "What's this?" Katie asked.

"Ginny's putting on her own show, and we thought you ought to see it. Thing is, you're supposed to be out on a romantic walk," Alicia said, panting a little from her run. "So you two can get on your brooms and watch the show from outside. Angie's opened the window. Just be quiet." With that, Alicia shoved the brooms into their hands and shooed them off. "I'll be in the Common Room," she added as Lee and Katie mounted their brooms and kicked off. They flew through the nearest window and turned in a loop so they were heading towards Gryffindor Tower.

Katie loved the feeling of the wind rushing up against her. Flying was what she was meant to do. The sky was where she belonged. Without Quidditch this year, she didn't get any time to zoom around on her broom, and she sorely missed it. They reached the Common Room window and saw that it was indeed open. They peered through, so just their eyes were above the window sill. This way, they could see, but if someone spotted them they could fly down quickly. Katie watched as Ginny hopped down the stairs and glanced out the window. When she caught sight of Katie, she smiled, and began the performance.

She walked over to where the twins were sitting and sat next to George on his couch. "What _are _you two up to?"

"Go away Ginny, you're bothering us," George snapped, waving at her as though she were a fly that could be chased away.

"Well, you're awfully rude, aren't you? And stop waving at me like that, I'm not an insect that you can just send away," Ginny scolded. "What do you think Mum would say if she knew this was how you were treating her only daughter?"

"That's great Ginny," George said, not paying attention.

"Alright then. I was going to give you some information about _your_ friends, but seeing as you're not interested, I think I'll just take it and leave." Fred's head snapped up so fast, Katie was surprised it didn't break. He narrowed his eyes.

"And what exactly is this information?" he asked suspiciously,

"It's about Lee and Katie," Ginny said, dropping her voice. "I saw them from the window in my dorm."

George sighed uninterestedly. "That's really great Ginny, but we really need to-"

"What were they doing?" Fred asked, cutting his brother off. He was trying hard to sound as though he didn't care.

"Well, that's the best part!" Ginny said. "But I won't just tell you. I need something in return."

"But we're broke!" Fred protested.

"It doesn't even matter," George said, looking at Fred as though he was a stranger. "We don't need to hear your little gossip."

"Fred does," Ginny said. "So you can mind your own business. Now, Fred, what's in it for me if I tell you?"

"I'll sneak food for you from the kitchens whenever you want for a day," Fred offered.

"A week," Ginny countered.

"A week, that's ridiculous," Fred said in dismay.

"Take it or leave it," Ginny answered.

"Fine, a week," Fred conceded. "Just tell me what you saw."

"They were walking around the lake, holding hands and talking to each other. It was so romantic, the way they were looking at each other. They are such a great couple," Ginny gushed, assuming a faraway look.

"Anything else?" Fred asked, looking down.

"Well, the best part was what I saw before running down here. Lee kissed Katie! It was just on the cheek, but it was still such a romantic moment. Lee is really head over heels for her, and I'll bet a hundred galleons she feels the same."

"You haven't got the galleons to bet," George pointed out. Ginny glared at him.

"Have you no sense of romance?"  
"No, and I am very happy that way. Now would you mind going away so me and Fred can work. I don't see why Fred had to offer to be your house-elf just for that bit of pointless gossip," he answered irritably. At the last words, Hermione had looked over at the group.

"George!" she scolded. "How could you be so insensitive? It is not a house-elf's job to serve you and your silly needs."

"Yeah, Hermione, it kind of is. That _is_ their job!" George replied.

"That's the kind of thinking that S.P.E.W is trying to stop! It's people like you who are holding back the house-elves and are not allowing them to unleash their full potential."

"Again with the spew stuff," George muttered, rolling his eyes. Katie would have stayed to watch the rest of the argument, but just then Fred looked out the window. Lee and Katie ducked just in time and began zooming to the lake. Katie laughed as her feet hit the ground and she rolled off the broom.

"Ginny's got some good acting skill," Lee commented as he landed as well. "I'd even say she's almost as good as me."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Let's go put the brooms away, by then it'll be time for lunch."  
Katie couldn't hide the fact that she was almost excited for lunch. She was curious to see how Fred would act.

* * *

**Sooo, let me know what you think in a REVIEW! They inspire me to update faster!**

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	7. The Suspicions

Chapter 7 – The Suspicions

**Look over there! It's an update! Hehe! Well...in this chapter, George enters the plot, causing plenty of problems. Hope you like and REVIEW!**

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"I'm hungry."

"I don't care."

"I'm hungry."

"Lee, will you shut up," Katie said, glaring at him. "We'll go in for lunch in a minute." They were currently standing on the steps of Hogwarts, while the rest of the castle was settling down for lunch.

"Why can't we go now?" Lee whined.

"We have to arrive late so all the attention is on us! Remember, we're on a mission here!" Katie answered with as much enthusiasm as she could manage. Truth be told, she was hungry too.

"A mission? Is that what we're calling it now?" Lee grumbled. Katie glared at him.

"Come on. I think we can go in now." She started up the steps.

"Wait, Katie, hold my hand," Lee called. Katie groaned, but still placed her hand in Lee's. "How much longer do I have to do this? What are we trying to accomplish anyway?"

"Until Fred admits everything he did," Katie answered as they walked up the stairs. They paused before walking through the door. "Believe me, I hate this just as much as you do," she assured him, pushing on the heavy wood doors. They walked into the Great Hall, where everyone was settled down, chattering and eating. Katie and Lee spotted their friends and headed over to sit near them, across from each other.

"Hey Katie," Angelina greeted. Alicia's eyes were glued on Lee for some reason. Katie spotted Harry, Hermione and Ron sitting at the other end of the table. Ron had a turkey leg in one hand and a chicken leg in the other. Hermione was glaring at him, and it looked as though she was about to start lecturing him about his table manners. Harry was watching her cautiously, knowing that she would blow any moment.

"Where's Fred?" Lee asked all of a sudden. Katie looked at him in confusion, and then, after a quick glance around the table, she saw that Lee was right. Fred was nowhere to be found.

"He's in his room," George answered, stabbing his potatoes. He looked agitated.

"What's he doing in there?" Katie asked.

"Beats me. He refused to come down to lunch. Said he wasn't in the mood," George said. "It's not like him to miss a meal." It certainly wasn't like him. Katie had seen this first hand. It seemed like a big appetite was a running trait in the Weasley family.

"It's fine," Alicia said, waving it off. "I think he can handle skipping one meal."

"That's not the problem, Alicia," George snapped. "He's holed up in his room for some reason, _that's _the problem. What's up with him? Any ideas?"

Katie, Alicia, Angelina and Lee all exchanged glances before saying a quick, "No idea."

"I hope he's alright though," Angelina added, to show her concern. Katie was worried too. Lunch seemed oddly quiet with just the five of them. Fred wasn't there to crack jokes, and without him, George didn't seem in the mood either. Lee – who could normally tell a decent story – was also oddly quiet. Eventually, it got to be too much for Katie. She noticed that George was looking at her strangely.

"What?" she asked, after his eyes stayed fixed on her. He just shrugged and turned to look at Lee, who was gazing distractedly at his broccoli. Then, George's eyes flickered back to her, and back to Lee, until he was looking back and forth. "George Weasley, why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like _that_," Katie said unhelpfully. George just shook his head. "God George, I really don't know what's gotten into you Weasley boys." With that, she stood up and stomped out of the Great Hall.

What had gotten into George? Why had he been staring at her like that? Well, it wasn't only her; he had been staring at Lee too for some reason. But why would he be staring at both of them like that? Something stuck in Katie's head.

_Lee… both… Lee and Katie…_

She froze in her tracks. It was so obvious, she kicked herself for not figuring it out sooner. George didn't know about the plan, and Lee and her hadn't been acting in love at the slightest. Not a single word said to each other, not a single glance passed. No wonder he was looking so suspicious. Katie groaned. Now they'd done it. She would have to avoid George until this whole thing blew over. Sadly, George had other plans.

As she was walking down one of the narrower corridors (it was a shortcut) she felt something grab her wrist, and she was spun around roughly. She found herself staring into brown eyes that were glittering with suspicion.

"Katie Bell. Tell me what is going on right now," he said dangerously. Katie stood her ground.

"Nothing is going on George. Now if you'll kindly remove your hand." She tried to wrench her hand free, but he had an iron grip on her. It was starting to hurt, but headstrong as she was, she refused to complain about it.

"Why is Fred up in his room?" George growled.

"Just how do you expect me to know?" Katie shot back.

"You were out with him this morning. What happened?" George asked.

"Nothing happened!"

"What happened?" George repeated with more force, shaking Katie's wrist.

"Ouch, George, ouch, stop it!" Katie cried, her refusal to complain dissolving as she felt as though her wrist would snap any moment. "We got into a fight, that's all!" George stopped shaking her, but he maintained a grip on her wrist.

"A fight over what?" he asked, eyes narrowing. Katie looked at the floor. "Answer me," George smiled.

"He got mad at me for liking Lee," Katie said, glaring at him. If looks could kill, he would be a goner. "And he had no right to get mad like that. That's all. That's hardly a good reason for him to shut himself up like that. He was wrong."

"He got mad at you for liking Lee?" George said, looking a little dazed. "Why would he get mad at that?"

"How do you expect me to know?" Katie snapped, still trying to tug herself free. "Let me go now George, or I swear I will–oomph." Without warning, George had let go of Katie's hand, sending her sprawling on the floor.

"Sorry," George said, offering her a hand. She took it, but as soon as she was standing again, she gave him a good kick in the shin and stalked off to the library.

* * *

_The Proper Use of Blood. _No. _Guide for Basic Charms. _No. _Hogwarts: A History. _No. _The Polyjuice Problems. _Hmm, that was supposed to be good.

Katie slid the book off the shelf. It was fairly thick, meaning it would keep her occupied for a while. She flipped through the pages absent-mindedly, enjoying the small breeze that came with it.

"That's a good book," a voice behind her said. She turned and saw Hermione watching her, four books in hand.

"You've read it?" Katie asked, surprised. She hadn't ever thought of Hermione as a fiction type of person. She seemed to prefer books filled with facts.

Hermione nodded. "I like to read fiction sometimes. It's a nice break from all the numbers and facts."

"Don't you like numbers and facts?"

"I don't read books because I like the numbers and facts. I read them because I like learning about new things, and I'm curious about the contents of the books. I don't read them so I can sprout facts at random moments, I read them to satisfy my hunger for knowledge," she said seriously. "But I still love a good story, though our lives would already be considered a story in the Muggle world." Katie laughed.

"They would, wouldn't they?"

"Any new developments on the Fred dilemma?" Hermione asked kindly. Katie remembered that she still hadn't told her about the plan, so she began explaining it. Hermione listened carefully. "Not bad, but don't hurt his feelings too much," Hermione said once she was finished.

"I don't know. I'm starting to get worried," Katie confessed. "Fred didn't turn up for lunch today, and George said he's holed up in his room."

"Do you have any idea why?"

"Well, we did get into a bit of an argument earlier," Katie admitted, "but it was all his fault." She explained what had happened.

"I think I know what's going on," Hermione said with a sneaky smile once Katie was done.

"What?" Katie asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"The plan is working. You're starting to get to Fred," she said cheerfully. Katie considered this. Hermione was probably right…as always.

Katie sighed. "I guess I'll head up to the Common Room now, are you coming?" Hermione looked like she was about to say yes, but then her eyes caught on the shelf of books that Katie had been browsing through.

"Those books are all out of order," she exclaimed. "You go ahead Katie, I'll just organize these and see you later."

"Hermione, you really don't have to-"

"I know," Hermione cut her off. "But I want to. This is my sanctuary, and I can't stand it being messed up like this." She placed her books on a desk and began pulling books off of the shelves. Katie smiled to herself as she left the library.

* * *

Katie walked into the Common Room thinking about curling up on a nice, warm armchair and reading her book. That never happened. As soon as she was through the portrait hole, George rushed over and began tugging on her arm.

"George, what do you think you're doing," Katie demanded.

"You've got to get up there Katie! Fred put locking charms on the door and he won't even let _me _in. How am I supposed to sleep?" George said frantically.

"Well, how do you expect me to help?" Katie said, struggling to resist George's pushes towards the boy's stairs.

"Talk to him. Settle the fight or whatever!"

"But, George-" He didn't listen, he just pushed Katie up the stairs, and blocked the entrance back to the Common Room.

"You're not coming out of there until Fred unlocks that door," he said firmly. "No one gets in, no one gets out." Katie frowned. What did they expect her to do?

Grumbling to herself, she climbed the stairs and stopped outside the door that she knew to be Fred's. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer.

"Fred," she called. "It's me. Katie." Yeah, like that would get him to open the door. If anything, it would make him more determined to keep it shut. "Can we talk?" No answer.

Katie thought. _George said he put locking charms on the door, so the door can't be unlocked, but it can be destroyed,_ Katie thought, _well, it's a start._

She pulled her wand out, pointed it to the door, and yelled, "_Bombarda._" There was a large flash of yellow light, and when it cleared the door was still completely intact. _He must have put a spell on it to protect it from spells like that._ Katie tapped her foot impatiently, trying to think of another way in, when she had an idea. She raced up the stairs to the next dorm up and threw open the door. Thankfully, it was empty. She walked to the center of the room and, deciding to kick things up a notch yelled "_Bombarda Maxima!_"

The room shook and the floor looked like it was about to cave in. Unfortunately, the spell was a tad too strong, and Katie saw that instead of just a section of the floor, the entire floor was about to fall. She braced herself and felt the floor giving way under her. _I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die._

Katie hit something soft and then heard a cry of pain. Her eyes were still squeezed shut. She buried her head into something soft, trying not to breathe in the dust that was now floating around. Finally, she opened her eyes slowly and lifted her head. She was met with Fred's brown eyes, which were currently looking very startled.

"Hello," she said weakly. It came out dry and raspy, probably from the dust that had lodged itself in her throat. She coughed.

"What the hell Katie," Fred said angrily, throwing her off of him and standing up. He was covered in a fine layer of rock powder.

"You wouldn't open the door." There was the sound of pounding footsteps and then banging on the door. Fred sighed and pointed his wand at the door, muttering a spell. The door burst open to reveal George. He glanced at the two of them, the pile of rubble on the floor, and the lack of ceiling.

"This is going to take a really strong Mending Charm," he commented. "Get out now Katie."

"But I thought you wanted me to-"

"I think you've done enough," George cut her off, looking at the ceiling sadly. There was the sound of more footsteps, until almost all of Gryffindor was piled outside the room, staring in awe at the broken ceiling.

"Now you've gone and done it," Fred whispered indignantly. Katie glared at him.

"_I've _gone and done it? Me? This is all _your _fault," she hissed. "You're the one who wouldn't open the bloody door."

"Ha, sure, blame it all on me, like you always do. What is your problem?"

"My problem is you and your lack of humanness," Katie answered haughtily. Their eyes met and they glared at each other. Then, without warning, the both burst into laughter.

"We sound like an old married couple," Fred said, wiping his eyes. Katie was laughing so hard, she was having trouble breathing. George, along with the rest of Gryffindor, was looking at them like they were crazy…which they probably were.

"We're going to need a really powerful spell," George said with a frown. Hermione pushed through the crowd.

"I've got it," she announced, pointing her wand into the room. "_Reparo Maxima_."

Katie watched in awe as the furniture flew up to the dorm above and the ceiling repaired itself. One of the beds that had splintered while the debris had been falling righted itself, and the broken leg fixed itself. Once it was done, the room was back to normal. Except for the dust that still coated everything.

"_Scourgify_," Hermione said clearly. The room began to clean itself until even the dust was gone and it was shinier than before.

"Thanks Hermione," George said gratefully. "I don't know what we'd do without you. We only know Destruction Charms. We leave the Mending Charms to people like you."

"I've noticed," Hermione said dryly. "Now, maybe we should all leave so Fred and Katie can sort things out." She herded everyone out of the room, and with a wink to Katie she was gone. Katie glanced over at Fred and saw him playing with his hands nervously.

"I'm sorry Katie," he said quietly. "It was my fault. I was being a prat. I shouldn't have reacted like that. You were right. It's none of my bloody business."

"Fred Weasley giving a formal apology? I think might have hit my head on the drop," Katie teased. Then she assumed a serious expression. "Why did you react that way?"

"I don't know. I think it was because…" he took a deep breath, "because I think of you as a sister. And, I'm obviously protective of my sister." Katie felt a pang in her heart – corny as it sounds. So, Fred didn't like her? He thought of her as a sister? Was this all in vain?

But part of Katie refused to believe it. _See his expression? He looks like it hurts him to say it! There's still hope Katie, there's still hope!_

Katie forced a smile. "That's sweet Fred."

He shrugged. "Being sweet is what I do."

"Will I see you at dinner?" Katie asked. "Or will you be locked in your room again?"

"Which do you want?" Fred replied.

"I'd like to see you at dinner," Katie said firmly. "It just isn't the same without you." Fred smiled – that charming smile that only he could manage that made Katie's heart tingle every single time.

"Oh, how you flatter me." Katie pushed him lightly. Fred stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to burst out laughing again, though there was something off this time. She got up.

"I'll see you later Fred."

* * *

"Angelina, Alicia, I need to talk to you guys," Katie said the minute she spotted them in the Common Room. "It's about Fred."

"Should I get Lee?" Alicia asked immediately.

"Yes," Katie said, grateful that Alicia was so quick on the uptake. "Meet us in the abandoned classroom."

"The one on the third floor?"

"No, fourth floor." Alicia nodded and headed to the portrait hole.

Ten minutes later, they were all seated at a clump of desks facing each other. When they arrived, they found everything coated in a thick layer of dust, but after Katie put the Scouring Charm to good use, it was good as new. Lee had his feet up on his desk and had a sulky look on his face.

"What's up Katie?" Angelina asked, once they were all settled down.

"Well… I was talking to Fred and he said… well he said he thinks of me as a sister," Katie said in a small voice.

"So?" Lee asked, looking at her incredulously. "You're not honestly telling me that you called us here to announce that Fred called you his sister equivalent?"

"I am, actually," Katie said coldly. "It means Fred doesn't fancy me so… I guess this is over…"

"Hurrah!" Lee said unenthusiastically. He looked from Angelina to Alicia. "Are you girls going to tell her she's being ridiculous, or shall I?" Angelina rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you go ahead?"

"Why not," Lee said with a shrug. "Katie, love, you're being ridiculous. You're going to call off everything, admit defeat, because of something Fred told you? I hope you realize that it doesn't have to be true. He clearly feels _something _for you; anyone with eyes can see that."

"Well what he feels is brotherly love," Katie answered waspishly.

"He doesn't look at Ginny that way," Lee argued, shaking his head. "Katie, he just said that to put a name on what he's been feeling for you. So you wouldn't suspect his true feelings. Besides, if he doesn't like you, why did he kiss you? Isn't this whole thing trying to get him to admit that?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Katie stopped, out of things to argue about.

"You didn't expect him to admit it immediately, did you? Fred is stubborn, it'll take a while. I'm willing to do that for you, but are you?"

"Yes," Katie answered. "You can end your lecture now."

Lee smiled. "It's not a lecture. You just need to stop doubting yourself so much. You're more capable than you give yourself credit for."

"I don't doubt myself," Katie said defensively.

"Katie, you're a strong, funny, beautiful girl. Fred would be an idiot to not eventually admit his feelings for you. Don't doubt yourself, you could bat your eyelashes and have any guy following you around," Lee said earnestly.

"Shut up Lee," said Katie, though she blushed.

"I'm just saying. Keep it up, and we'll have Fred taken care of in no time at all."

"Um… guys?" Katie turned her head and saw Alicia staring at the door looking shocked. Katie looked and saw what had Alicia looking so frightened.

For a moment, she felt her heart stop when she thought it was Fred, but when she looked more closely she saw that it was, in fact, George. Not that it made things much better. There was a heavy silence, consisting of many looks passed between the four schemers, while George just stared at them all. Finally, Angelina spoke.

"Hi George," she said sweetly. "What are you doing here?"

George didn't answer, he just took long steps to the cupboard near the back of the room and began searching around, producing a large blue and purple box. "Getting this," he answered, holding the box up. "Supplies for… well, you know."

"Oh."

"What are you lot doing here?" It was now his turn to be suspicious.

"Just… um… chatting," said Alicia, trying hard to smile, though it was a weak attempt.

"What are you planning to do to Fred?" George asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing," Alicia said weakly.

"Alicia darling, I'm not an idiot."

"You had us convinced," Katie muttered. George turned to look at her.

"Well than, perhaps you'd like to explain this."

"Perhaps you should keep your nose out of things that have nothing to do with you," Katie answered heatedly.

"It has to do with Fred, therefore it has to do with me," George answered, voice steady.

"Too bad then," Angelina said, standing up. The other three followed suit. "You can gather up the rest of your supplies, but we're out of here." She stalked out of the room, followed by Alicia, Lee and then Katie.

As Katie was stepping past George, he grabbed her wrist, spun her around and pushed her against a wall, placing his arms on either side of her so she was trapped.

"George, let me go," Katie said threateningly.

"Katie Bell. Tell me what's going on right now."

"Nothing – is – going – on," Katie said through gritted teeth. "Let – me – GO!"

"No."

"God George, you're such a bloody git," Katie said angrily, starting to kick out.

"God Katie, you'd be better off telling me what's going on. Other wise I may be forced to use… other methods." The last part was a whisper. Katie's eyes widened, causing George to chuckle rather coldly. "Shall I give you a taste of these _other methods_?"

"George Weasley, I swear if you touch me," Katie began, but he cut her off with another laugh.

"Relax Bell. I have no interest in you that way. Not now anyway," he added with a sly smirk. "I was talking, about this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial filled with a clear liquid. He grinned maniacally.

"Veritaserum."

"George, don't you dare," Katie said. "Besides there's no way I'm drinking that."

"You don't have to drink it by choice, dearest Katie. I know ways to force you to drink it as well. Or, you could just tell me." Katie sighed, knowing full well that she had no other choice.

So she told her story, which she was getting tired of telling, knowing that the game was up. George would go tell Fred, who would be furious, and he would forget any feelings he might have held towards her. Even their friendship would be in jeopardy. When she had ended her story, she looked at George and saw his brown eyes looking calculating. _They still don't have the same spark that Fred's eyes do, _she thought.

"Fred kissed you?" Katie didn't know if she should be insulted by his surprise. Was it _that _hard to believe?

"Yes. Why is that so shocking to you?"

"Not shocking," George said, his mischievous grin returning. "Just wondering how it feels." Katie kicked his foot, glaring.

"George," she scolded while he burst into a strange mixture of laughter and cries of pain.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just joking," he managed, wiping his eyes where tears had formed. "I would never dream of kissing you."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Katie demanded.

"Guess it depends on how you look at it," George said with a wink.

"I like you better when you're the quiet one," Katie announced, giving him her best death stare. But it ended up with her laughing just as hard as he had been.

"Alright," George said, finally regaining himself. "Katie, I'll help you. I won't tell Fred, and I'll help with the drama. Should be fun."

Katie had to make sure she was hearing right. "Really? You'll help? Why?"

"For one thing, you're actually right in this battle. And then there's also the small fact that Fred… um, never mind that. Point is, I'll help you. _If _you do something for me."

"What?" Katie asked suspiciously.

George lowered his voice, "Well, if you would put in a word about me with Angelina." He turned red when Katie smirked knowingly.

"I'll see what I can do," she said, feeling very devious all of a sudden.

Hanging out with the twins tended to do that to a person.

* * *

**I have a question to ask you guys. Ready? Alright. So, I'm not sure if I should do a chapter in Fred's POV or not. Would you guys rather know what's going on in Fred's mind or would you rather the entire story be told in Katie's POV so you're left guessing? This depends on YOU GUYS, so let me know in a REVIEW (or a PM if that makes you more comfortable.)**

**If you want some Fred POV, simply say 'Fred' (and if desired add some comments about the story. PLEASE!)**

**If you want to stick to Katie, simply say 'Katie' (and if desired add some comments about the story. PLEASE!)**

**It really depends on you guys and what you decide! Also, if you don't care or even if you do, please leave some feedback as well! I love you guys, you're awesome (just saying) and you're reviews make me SOOOOOOOO happy, like DANCE-LEVEL happy. And I don't dance. -_-**

**So yeah...**


	8. The New Fred

Chapter 8 – The New Fred

**Yes, yes, it's been a while, I know. In my defense, I was traveling for three weeks, and when I got back I was really lazy... anyway, this is an especially long chapter, and it's crucial to the advancement of the story... don't forget to review!**

* * *

Fred _did _show up for dinner, as he had said. He seemed withdrawn though, lost in his thoughts. This was unnatural, as normally he was loudly discussing his thoughts with George.

George was also a bit lost. He kept glancing at Angelina and then at Katie as if waiting for something to happen. Well, he _was_ waiting for something to happen, but he shouldn't have been acting so suspiciously.

There was thick tension in the air between the six friends as they picked at their food. The atmosphere was so suffocating, that Katie didn't have much of an appetite. She glanced up from her nearly full plate and saw George giving her a meaningful look.

"I'll do it later George, it has to be done at the right time," Katie said loudly, her voice breaking through the silence that had settled. George's eyes widened and he glared at Katie. That was understandable.

"Do what later?" Alicia asked, curiosity piqued.

"Well, George here wanted me to-"

"Have some more potatoes!" George broke in cheerily, pouring some onto Katie's already full plate. "They're seasoned quite well. For you, Alicia?"

"Er… no thanks," Alicia said politely. "I'm not too hungry… actually, I'm feeling a bit unwell. I think I'll go up to the Common Room and turn in early."

"Mind if I come?" Angelina said, pushing away her own plate. "It's rather stuffy in here."

Katie watched as the two girls walked out of the Great Hall, away from the uncomfortable environment.

"How 'bout you Katie? Not feeling sick, are you?" Lee said with a great deal of concern. Fake concern, though it sounded very real.

"No, I'm fine."

"Hey, Lee, what classes have we got tomorrow?" George asked suddenly. Katie turned to look at him.

"One would think you would have learned your schedule by now," she said in an imitation of Professor McGonagall. George just shrugged.

"Well, one thinks wrong then. Perhaps two will have a better idea." Katie rolled her eyes at the bad joke.

"We have Potions," Lee began, but he didn't get any further.

"Potions?" George shouted. "I haven't finished that essay yet!" At this announcement, Lee's eyes widened.

"Finished? I haven't even started yet!" And then they were both half walking, half running out of the Great Hall to avoid Snape's wrath the next day.

"Aren't you going to join them?" Katie asked, looking over at Fred who was sitting right across from her. His plate was also full, which didn't match his Weasley appetite.

"No, I finished my essay during lunchtime, like a responsible person," Fred said proudly. "See? I am a good student."

"The essay may be finished, but I doubt it's any good," Katie pointed out.

"Well, you see, that's another matter all together," Fred said, taking a drink from his goblet of pumpkin juice. "We were talking about getting it done. Now, quality, that's another story…"

"I really don't see how you and George manage to get away with stuff like this at school," Katie said with a hint of admiration. "Don't you two ever worry about the future?"

"Katie, you know we want to open a joke shop. We don't need O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s to do that, we just need our creative brains, our pranking natures, and a bit of start-up money."

"But still-"

"And it's not like we don't know the material," Fred continued. "We just learn the stuff that's useful. Potions, for instance; I'm brilliant at brewing. I don't feel the need to write an essay about the various ingredients, but I do know them, very well in fact. I know them well enough to be able to combine them to make potions and antidotes which will be needed in the joke shop. It's not that I'm not smart, I just use my intelligence in other ways."

"Alright, alright, I never said you weren't smart, Fred, I know you are. But how do you get away with it? Don't your parents get on your case about it?"

"They try," Fred said with a shrug, "but they really can't do much. I mean, seven kids, they can't really spend all of their energy trying to get us to focus in school. They tried once, but Ron and Ginny got into loads of trouble while their attention was on us."

"Howlers? Why don't they just send Howlers? I know your mother is more than capable of it after she sent Ron one for flying to Hogwarts in a car."

"They probably just think George and I are dumb. They can't really scold us for not being smart," Fred said, finally picking up his fork and stabbing at a roast potato.

"What? You just said that-"

"I know what I said. I know we're smart, George knows we're smart, you know we're smart, but mum and dad… they don't know that." He popped the potato in his mouth and chewed it experimentally. "Georgie was right… these are seasoned quite well." Katie rolled her eyes, though she was grateful that the tense atmosphere had dissipated. She felt her appetite starting to return and looked down to the mound of potatoes on her plate. She began shoveling them into her mouth in an 'unladylike' fashion.

"Slow down, you're eating like a Weasley," Fred commented with a grin. Katie almost choked on her food from the laughter that bubbled up inside of her.

"Stop that," she scolded, once she had taken a long drink of pumpkin juice.

"Stop what?"

"Making me laugh when I'm eating! You'll be the death of me Fred Weasley." Fred smiled charmingly.

"Hello Katie." She looked up and saw Hermione sliding into the seat next to her. Harry and Ron sat across from her.

"Looks like the Trio is here," Fred said playfully. "Any reason you're late for dinner? Were you off fighting monsters in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Something like that," Ron said moodily, filling his plate. "Hermione made us work on our History of Magic essay. She wouldn't let us go until she was satisfied, and she has the highest standards."

"Well, excuse me for trying to keep you from failing," Hermione said waspishly. "Honestly Ronald, you ought to focus more on your schoolwork."

"I'd rather have fun, like a normal person," Ron retorted with his mouth full.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth, it's repulsive," Hermione chided. "Learn some manners."

"Well at least I know how to have fun."

"And _what _is that supposed to mean?"

"All you ever do is work. Do you ever think about anything other than school and learning and books?"

"I do, in fact, but I would rather not fail Fourth Year because I'm off playing silly games and pulling pointless pranks."

"Who's pranks are you calling pointless?" Fred broke in. "I'll have you know, our pranks do have a point."

"And that point would be?" Hermione prompted.

"Causing as much havoc to the school as possible, obviously." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You Weasley boys are all the same."

Fred gave an exaggerated gasp. "How dare you. I'm nothing like Percy, he's a prat and I'm not." Ron snorted.

"That's a fair point. You'd have to be mad to call Fred and George similar to Percy. Speaking of which, where is George?"

"He's working on the Potions essay that's due tomorrow," Katie answered.

"And why aren't you working on it, Fred?" Hermione asked in a manner very similar to Professor McGonagall.

"Because I, like a good student, finished it earlier today," Fred said proudly. "Why so quiet Harry?" The last comment was directed at Harry, who was staring blankly at his plate. He looked up the minute he heard his name.

"Sorry, didn't catch that," he said, looking out of sync.

"You're spacing out mate."

"Just a bit tired," Harry answered.

"Alright then. I'll leave Harry to his mourning and the two of you to your bickering. Try not to kill each other? Mum would have a fit. You coming Katie?"

Katie looked down at her plate that was still laden with food and gazed at it for a while before nodding and getting up, not before shoving some more potatoes in her mouth, however. She walked with Fred out of the Great Hall.

"Ron and Hermione argue like an old married couple," Fred said conversationally as they walked through the school towards the Common Room.

"It's sweet."

"Sweet? Poor Harry! Must get irritating, hearing them bickering all the time! Don't know how he does it."

"He doesn't exactly _do _much with it. He just blanks out," Katie pointed out.

"True, true." There was silence as they reached the bottom of a staircase and stood waiting for it to stop moving. "So, how are things going with Lee?" Fred said as they stepped up.

"What d'you mean?"

"You guys like each other. Where do you stand at this point?"

"Well…" Katie began, unsure of where to go with this.

"Well what?" Fred prompted.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend, so we're a couple now," Katie finally blurted out. Fred just nodded.

"Congratulations, I guess. Are you happy?"

"Yes," Katie answered, though she really wasn't. Fred nodded again, with a satisfied look. He looked so calm and peaceful, it scared Katie a little. What happened to the prankster Fred? This Fred was oozing compassion. That was not normal. And it had happened so suddenly.

"Well, I think I'll head up to bed."

"So early?" Katie said, startled. Fred was not an early sleeper. He slept late and woke up late. That was just the way he was.

"I'm thinking of discarding my bad habits in favor of a more peaceful lifestyle," he said with a completely straight face.

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm not. I don't think I'll be joking as much anymore. It communicates rowdiness and a need to fill a hole in one's life. No, joking is not an act I will be partaking in anymore." Katie stared at him, dumbstruck.

"Since when do you use such big words, and since when are you peaceful? Fred, what's wrong with you? Is this some prank?"

"I file pranking in the same category as joking."

"So, what, the old Fred is gone?"

"Replaced with a new and improved Fred. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." He smiled though it wasn't even a ghost of his usual charming smile. When Katie just stared at him, he nodded his head slightly and turned to walk to his room. Katie noticed with disgust that his hands were clasped behind his back and he was walking with slow and even strides. A second year bounded down the steps and Fred gave him a quick "Hello." Fred didn't make a habit of greeting second years. Even the second year looked a bit startled by that fact that the school prankster/legend Fred Weasley had just spoken to him.

Katie stayed up late that night, reading _The Polyjuice Problems_. It was about this witch, Piper, who fell in love with a wizard named Leo. Piper was beautiful and popular, though she hated the spotlight, and was dating Jason, another wizard. Leo was a class clown who hit on every girl he saw.

That's all Katie figured out until she finally decided to sleep, near one in the morning.

She dreamed that she was in a circus, and then suddenly the juggler dropped to the floor and began to sort through his balls. The tiger that had been roaring sat down and began licking its paws, like a kitten. The clowns stopped running in circles and sat down to meditate. The tightrope walker turned and her face was placid. Then a dark mist descended and everything went black.

The rest of her night was sleepless.

* * *

"KATIE BELL, GET OUT OF BED!" Katie nearly fell out of bed hearing the loud order. That had to be Angelina.

"What time is it?" she asked, groggily sitting up and trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. She saw Angelina running around looking for her jumper. Her white buttoned shirt was crumpled and her tie hung loosely, flying behind her like a shrunken cape.

"Too late, that's what time it is," Angelina answered wildly. At this point, Alicia came out of the bathroom, rubbing her wet hair with a towel. "Merlin, you took forever in there. Katie get in there now and get ready or we'll miss breakfast."

Getting ready wasn't very enjoyable with Angelina constantly yelling through the door. When she finally emerged, Angelina grabbed her arm and started pulling her to the door.

"OI! Let me get my robe!" Katie protested.

"Alicia, grab the girl's robe and follow us," Angelina ordered, not loosening her grip on Katie. She pulled her down the stairs quickly and Katie had a vision of herself loosing her footing and tumbling down on the hard stone steps. She couldn't stop the sigh of relief that escaped her once her feet were on even ground again. Alicia handed her the robe and Katie quickly slipped it on.

"You ladies take forever getting ready," George said the minute he spotted them. "Come on now, fast, or we won't get anything to eat!" Lee and him started towards the Portrait Hole but Katie stopped and glanced at Fred, who was sitting straight up on an armchair looking at a… book? Strange, Fred Weasley didn't read.

"You coming Fred?"

"Oh, no, I already ate," Fred said gently. "Early this morning, before any of you were awake."

"But you never wake up early," Katie said, not wanting to believe that he was still putting on the peaceful act.

"Well I slept early, I'll obviously wake up early. Besides, rising from bed early is the start to a peaceful and healthy lifestyle. You get so much more done. Now look, I don't have to get caught in the hustle and bustle of the late risers rushing to get ready. I got ready slowly and in my own time, had a nice, peaceful breakfast, and now I have a chance to do some light reading before class starts."

"Light reading?" Katie repeated incredulously. "You hate to read Fred. Wouldn't you rather plan a prank or come up with a new joke product?"

"Those are silly things, and I believe in them no longer," Fred said calmly. "You should hurry to breakfast before it ends."

Katie opened her mouth to make a scathing remark, but Angelina caught her arm and started pulling her out of the Common Room.

"Leave it Katie, or we'll miss breakfast," she said once they were walking down the stairs. "We'll deal with it later."

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a blur. During lunch, Katie took great care to sit as far away from Peaceful Fred as possible. If she had to sit near him, her lunch wouldn't stay down for long. She didn't see him again until she walked into the Common Room after Transfiguration, her last class of the day. Throwing her schoolbag into a corner, she sank onto her favorite armchair, not noticing that Fred was sitting across from her.

"Hello. Had a long day?" Hearing his voice, Katie nearly jumped in her seat. When she saw him, she groaned.

"Fred, please stop this stupid peaceful thing. It's ridiculous. I want my Fred back! Where did this whole thing even come from?" Fred only smiled serenely, which Katie found disgusting.

"You are angry, but there is no need to take your anger out on me. I think I'll head to my room now, do a bit of reading."

"No, no, no!" Katie shouted like a little girl having a tantrum. "You're Fred Weasley, you don't bloody read!"

"You don't like reading?" Fred said, looking confused. Katie glared at him.

"_I _do, but _you _don't, and you're not supposed to read, because you're supposed to be the one making fun of _me_ for reading and then I get mad at you even though I'm really not mad because I like it when you tease me and I like it because it means I have your attention! I want my Fred back, and I need him back right now!" For a moment she saw a spark of something in Fred's eyes, but then it was gone.

"Making fun of people is bad. I do not partake in it anymore."

"But I _want _you to make fun of me. I like it!"

"I'm going to read." And with that, Fred spun around and walked to his room, with the same clasped hands and even strides.

* * *

Things continued like that for a few days. Fred acted 'peaceful' and Katie avoided him whenever it was possible. She still acted with Lee when he was around, but other than that she barely saw him and her plot had nearly slipped her mind.

Things just weren't the same with only five of them. With Fred gone, everyone had lapsed into a silent, moody phase. Nobody talked much. George seemed to be dealing with it the worst. Fred acting so out-of-character must have been killing him inside. He barely spoke and spent a lot of time sitting in the Common Room just staring into the fire.

"This has to stop!" Angelina finally said one day. "Everyone is falling apart!"

"Think I haven't noticed that?" Katie said irritably. "Thanks for the newsflash Captain Obvious."

"George is so upset. I've been talking to him a lot lately. In fact, the two of us have never been closer. I love spending time with George, it's what I've wanted and dreamt about for so long now, but he's not the same. Fred has really affected him."

"So?" Katie snapped. "What do you want me to do about it?" Angelina looked hurt.

"Nothing. I was just telling you. I know you're frustrated, but there's no reason to take it out on anyone who talks to you." Katie didn't answer, she just rolled her eyes. "And in case it happens to even slightly matter to you, Alicia and Lee seem a bit down too. But, no, we don't expect you to do anything about it."

Katie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched Angelina storm out of the room. Things were really falling apart. Was it really all because of her? The thought made her feel sick, and she slumped onto her bed feeling miserable. At some point she fell asleep.

* * *

Katie woke up an hour later. After scrambling around to see the time (2:30 in the afternoon) she realized she had missed lunch. Perfect. Her stomach growled angrily at her.

"As if things weren't bad enough already." _Oh great, now I'm talking to myself. Merlin, I really need food. I'll just sneak down to the kitchens and get something to eat…_

After fixing her hair, which had turned into a nest during her nap, Katie headed out of the dormitory. The Common Room was mostly empty as she passed through it. Everyone was probably outside, considering it was such a nice day.

The hallways were empty too, and Katie's footsteps echoed eerily. She wasn't used to walking through the school alone. Either they were bustling with people heading to class, or she was with her friends. She realized now how much she missed them. Things really needed to be fixed.

She was greeted warmly by the house-elves, as she always was. One with especially large ears and a forest green sack as clothing rushed forward.

"Miss Bell! May Tolly get you anything?"

"Yes, I missed lunch, I need something to eat," Katie explained, looking around at the big eyes watching her.

"Of course Miss Bell! Shall Tolly prepare some roast beef sandwiches with the leftover roast beef from lunch?"

"That would be wonderful, Tolly."

"Would Miss Bell like this for here or to go?"

"To go would be fine, thank you." Tolly bowed low so his pointy nose nearly touched the floor, then scurried off. Another house-elf – this one wearing a teabag – stepped forward.

"May Bippy get you anything to drink, Miss Bell?"

"No thank you," Katie said politely. She felt tugging on her clothing and turned to look at another house-elf, smaller than the rest with very big eyes.

"Why is Miss Bell without her friends?" he squeaked. There was a loud gasp from somewhere in the back, and another house-elf pushed through the crowd.

"Linny! You must not ask questions like that!" the house-elf scolded.

"Oh, no, it's fine," Katie said quickly. She turned to Linny and knelt down on one knee. There was a collective gasp from the other elves. "Well Linny, things aren't going too well with my friends, and… well it's my fault actually. I've really messed things up, and I need to fix them."

"Linny wishes you good luck Miss Bell." Katie smiled at the small house-elf, then turned as Tolly came running towards her with a stack of sandwiches wrapped in a napkin.

"Oh, thank you Tolly," Katie said as she took it, "but I really didn't need this much. I only needed one. How many are in here anyway?"

"Three, Miss Bell. Tolly is insisting that you take them, in case you get hungry later."

"Thank you. All of you," Katie said, smiling around.

"Come again soon Miss Bell!" the house-elves called as she exited the kitchens. She turned around the corner and started towards the doors leading out of the castle. Once she was outside, she spotted her favorite tree. She always went there when she wanted to be alone, which believe it or not _did _happen.

Most people preferred trees near the lake, but Katie's tree was in a corner created by the castle. It was away from everyone else, and the tall stone walls provided excellent shade. Sitting down on a soft patch of grass, Katie carefully unwrapped the sandwiches.

She ended up eating two, not one, but she was still left with a sandwich that she was too full to even look at. Pushing herself up from her spot, she started back towards the castle, thinking of ways to get rid of the sandwich. She found her answer in a first year sitting on the steps, reading a thick book.

"Oi, kid." The little Ravenclaw looked up quickly. "You want a sandwich?"

"Oh, um, no thank you…"

"Great," Katie said, dropping it on his lap. "Enjoy kid."

"Oh, uh, thanks, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, great story kid," Katie said, walking away.

"But, ma'am!"

Katie almost choked. _Ma'am?_ That was a new one. Was she really that intimidating? Probably… oh whatever. Not wanting to go back to the Common Room just yet, Katie decided to head up to the Astronomy Tower. It was nice up there, breezy and cool and nice.

As she walked up the many stairs to get to the tower, she thought about how she could fix the mess she had gotten herself into. No inspirational ideas came. Maybe the breeze would help? Probably not.

Once she got to the doorway of the Astronomy Tower, Katie froze. She could hear quiet voices talking, though she couldn't make out any words. _Guess the Astronomy Tower is taken_, she thought glumly as she turned to leave. Then she heard her name, spoken softly and just barely distinguishable. Naturally, as anyone would after hearing their name spoken by others, she began to listen. She couldn't make out anything, so she scooted a little closer so she could hear better. This also put the speakers in her view.

It was Angelina and George. They were sitting with their backs to her, but she could still recognize them. And she knew it was George and not Fred, because Fred kept mostly to the Common Room these days.

"It's bugging me Angie…" George was saying. "Fred and I… we've never had this kind of tension between us. He's acting calm and peaceful and I can't stand it! I'm thinking of telling him everything."

"What? No! George, you can't!" Angelina said, sounding shocked. Katie grimaced. Despite her rude behavior, Angelina was still defending her.

"Well what am I supposed to do?" George snapped. Angelina didn't answer, and a tense silence settled over the two like a fog. "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you… it's just, it's starting to get to me. Anyway, there's a reason why you called me up here. D'you plan on telling me what that reason is?"

"Well… I sort of had something to tell you..." Angelina said shyly. Katie blinked hard. She had never heard Angelina sound shy.

"Go on," George prompted.

"I don't really know how though. It's one of those things that are really awkward to put into words. I don't know how to say it."

"Just tell me."

"Alright then. George, lately, I've been feeling like… I might… um… I might…" Angelina never stuttered. She must have been very nervous.

"While we're still young Angie."

"Fine! It's just… whenever I'm around you, I feel really self-conscious and my heart speeds up and… and…"

"And?"

"I think I might like you!"

"You _think _you _might_ like me?"

"No..."

"No?"

"I know I like you, alright!"

"Like? Well I kind of hoped you liked me, considering we're friends…"

"No, not that kind of like. The other like…"

"The other like?"

"Ugh, George Weasley you are impossible. Why do you have to complicate this so much? I'm trying to tell you that I love you!"

"You love me?"

"Just forget it… forget I ever said anything." She got up to leave, but George reached out and caught her wrist.

"I love you too."

"You… what?"

Katie clamped a hand over her mouth to conceal the gasp that had almost escaped her. Angelina and George just confessed their love for each other, and Katie had been eavesdropping. She felt a little guilty, but also a little giddy. It was a very sweet moment. She took deep breaths to calm herself down, and then tuned herself back into the conversation.

"-heard me," George was saying.

"Well, yes, but-"

"I wasn't joking or playing with you, before you ask. I'm serious."

"You love me?" George didn't answer. Katie watched as he closed the space between him and Angelina. Not wanting to stay and watch their little make-out session, Katie quietly slipped away.

This was really hitting George hard, which meant it was also affecting Angelina. Maybe the whole thing should just be ended. Katie was conflicted as she started down another hallway. She froze when she heard whispers coming from behind a door. Curiosity got the better of her. She pressed her ear against the wood of the door and strained to make out the voices.

"Alicia, you know I love you."

"I know, Lee, it's just…"

Alicia and Lee. Now Katie _had _to stay and listen. Since when did they have a thing going on? How was Katie not aware of this?

"What's wrong?" Lee said.

"I hate having to keep this a secret. I hate having to sneak away to see you. I want to be able to hold your hand while walking through the halls. I want to be able to snuggle up next to you in the Common Room, but I can't because of this whole drama going on."

There was a silence, and Katie assumed they were doing something intimate that she really didn't want to know about.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's not right for you to have to go through this."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't want to do this; I'm the one who pushed you into it. And now, we're at some sort of standstill… when is it going to end?"

_Now_, Katie thought determinedly. She wasn't going to let her friends suffer any longer.

"I want it to end too. Pretending to be in love with Katie is just horrid."

_Well that hurt…_

"Oh, she's not so bad." _Thank you, Alicia. _"Most of the time." _I take that back._

"Shall we depart then?"

Katie didn't hear an answer, and the idea of leaving didn't register in her head until the door swung open and she fell through it.

"Katie!" Alicia shrieked. "What are you doing here?"

Katie groaned and peeled herself off of the stone floor. Lee offered her a hand which she gratefully took. Once she was standing again, she realized that she was in a very compromising situation.

"What exactly were you doing, leaning on the door?" Lee asked casually.

"I may or may not have been listening in on your conversation," Katie answered in the same casual tone. "And, by the way, pretending to be in love with you isn't a joyride either."

"That's because you're pretending," Lee said with a wink.

"Did you hear about… us?" Alicia asked, looking worried.

"Yes, I did, in fact. And I have a few choice words for you," Katie said, turning. Alicia swallowed nervously. "I can't believe you didn't tell me before!" Alicia became visibly relieved.

"I know, I know, I should have. I was just worried that you would get mad."

"Get mad? Are _you _mad? Come on Al, why on earth would I be mad? It's not like I have an actual thing for Lee! You'll have to tell me everything, when it started, how it started, everything!" Katie was practically squealing.

"I know, I know, shocking, isn't it? I'll tell you everything."

"Great, but first, I need to talk to you guys," Katie said, looking around at Alicia and Lee. "Angelina and George too."

"I'll get them," Lee offered. "Where do we meet?"

"This room is fine," Katie said, glancing over it. It was a large broom closet that could easily fit the five of them, and there were lots of buckets to sit on. "As long as you two didn't dirty it," she added playfully.

"You never know," said Lee as he walked out of the room. Katie pulled Alicia to an overturned bucket and made her sit down before sitting next to her.

"So, what is this mystery meeting about?"

"You'll see," Katie replied.

A lot was about to happen.

* * *

**Bad ending, I know. Sorry, it's like, 3 in the morning, brains kind of on shut down mode... oops.**

**I decided to keep this in Katie's point of view. Fred will explain himself later. **

**I HAVE BIG PLANS FOR THIS STORY! I HAD A WAVE OF IDEAS RIGHT BEFORE LEAVING FOR MY TRIP!  
**

**Review so I have more incentive to update!**

**I'm going to bed now...**


	9. The Halt

Chapter 9 – The Halt

**IS ANYONE OUT THERE?! I haven't gotten any review in like... forever! Please, if your reading, review so I know!**

**If anyone is reading, this is a critical chapter.**

* * *

"I think we should stop." Katie wished she could take a picture of the look on everyone's face.

"Stop, what?" Lee asked cautiously, checking to make sure that it was really what he thought it was.

"This scheme, this drama, this master plan," Katie said, an odd feeling of frustration building inside of her. "Listen, let me confess something. Today, I overhead George and Angie's conversation on the Astronomy tower."

Seeing the look of anger starting to form on George's face, Katie hurriedly explained herself.

"It wasn't on purpose, I swear! I was going up to the Astronomy tower to think, and then I heard voices and realized people were there. I was just about to leave, but then I heard my name. Instinct took over, and I started listening to what you were saying."

"Katie, that's spying," Angelina reprimanded.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. But, it helped me reach this decision. I hadn't realized just how much George was suffering from this whole thing, and I definitely had no idea that it was affecting your relationship. George doesn't deserve that kind of stress… well he sort of does, but I shouldn't be the one to deliver it. Taking Fred away from him is like cruel and unusual punishment. Even Filch wouldn't do something so horrible."

"Don't be so sure about that," Lee muttered. Now Katie turned to him and Alicia.

"And I'll confess, I also heard a conversation between Lee and Alicia. If I knew you guys fancied each other, I never would have done this. I'm so sorry for coming between you two."

"It's fine Katie. It's not like it's even your fault. I'm the one who decided to pull Lee into this. It was my idea, so why should you apologize?" Alicia said sincerely. Katie smiled at her.

"So basically, today I found out that four of my best friends are miserable because of me. And I'm going to change that. This whole plot is over. No more me and Lee. It's caused way too many problems, including Fred turning into an absolute lunatic," Katie said with finality. "I just, don't know what to do to fix Fred. Maybe ending this drama will help, I don't know. But I know we were wrong to play with Fred like that."

"Wow Katie. I've never seen you so serious," Lee commented. "Sure you're feeling okay?"

"I will be, once this whole thing is over," Katie said solemnly. "So tonight, before dinner, Lee and I will have a public breakup in the Common Room. Then we won't have to worry about this anymore."

"Sounds good," Lee said with a shrug. "I'll lead, you follow." Katie nodded.

"Er, if we're going to fit this in before lunch, we should probably start now," Angelina said. "Me, George and Alicia will walk in first. After a while, you guys come in and act like you were fighting. Come on guys." Angelina started towards the door, but Katie touched her elbow, stopping her.

"Thanks Angie," she said gratefully. Angelina smiled genuinely before sweeping out of the room followed by George and Alicia.

Katie turned to Lee. "You ready to break up?"

"Are you kidding? This is the part I've been waiting for the whole time!" Katie punched him in the arm. Lee just smiled. "Listen, Katie, you'll end up with Fred. I'm sure of it. You two are meant to be together."

"Thanks Lee," Katie said, hoping what he said was true. He offered her a hand exaggeratedly and she took it.

"Let's go break up then," he said, and they left the room together.

* * *

When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Katie's heart was beating fast. Lee looked at her carefully.

"Ready?" he asked. Katie nodded. "I'm going to storm into the room, and you follow me. Then I'll start yelling at you. You just answer the way you normally would if someone said that to you." Katie nodded again. "Okay, then here we go."

Lee spoke the password, and when the portrait swung to the side, he stormed through the door. After a second, Katie followed. Lee stopped in the middle of the room and spun around, glaring at Katie.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" he yelled. All heads that hadn't already turned now spun around to look at Lee. Katie spotted Alicia, Alicia, and George sitting together in a corner, and she saw Fred reading a book only a few armchairs away from them.

"ME?" she yelled, returning a glare at Lee. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

"NOTHING, YOU'RE THE PROBLEM. MY GOD KATIE, HOW CAN ANYONE STAND YOU?" And then, the strangest thing happened. Katie suddenly pictured Fred standing there yelling at her instead of Lee.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Katie yelled, reacting purely by instinct now. "AS IF YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!"

"That's it," Lee said, lowering his voice. "I can't do this anymore. I don't know what I was thinking, I must not have been thinking, but this? This is impossible, and I am so done. I am done with you Katie Bell. We are through." And in her mind's eye, it was Fred telling her that. And it made her feel hurt and upset.

"HA! AS IF BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU WAS FUN! I'M SURE YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY. I CAN'T BELIEVE _YOU'RE_ BREAKING UP WITH _ME_! THE ONLY REASON I AGREED TO GO OUT WITH YOU WAS TO SPARE YOUR FEELINGS. WELL, GET THIS. I AM GLAD WE'RE THROUGH, SO I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU ANYMORE. YOU BLOODY PRAT!"

"There's no need to yell, Katie," Lee snapped. "See this? This is why we're through. You have no self-control." And then the image of Fred vanished Fred Weasley would never tell Katie she had no self-control.

"AND YOU HAVE NO BRAINS!" Katie yelled in response. Lee just shook his head and started walking to the steps leading to the Boy's Dormitories. "AND YOU CAN'T EVEN KEEP UP A CONVERSATION. SEE, YOU JUST WALK AWAY FROM PEOPLE!"

Lee didn't answer, he was gone. Katie took a deep breath and became uncomfortably aware of the eyes on her. She turned and stomped over to where her friends were, sitting on a couch next to Alicia.

"Act upset," Alicia hissed. In response, Katie rested her head on Alicia's shoulder and sniffed. Alicia put an arm around her comfortingly. It took a while for people to get back to doing their own things, but eventually Katie felt the number of eyes decrease. She straightened herself and gave Alicia a grateful look. When she looked around the common room, her eyes fell on Fred. He was staring at her.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and Katie turned to see Will Freyton towering over her.

Will Freyton was in Katie's year. She had talked to him a few times, nothing ever long because most of her time was spent with her friends that were a year older. Her friend Leanne had told her repeatedly that he was the cutest guy in their year, but Katie hadn't cared. As far as she was concerned, Fred was still a whole lot cuter.

Will had dark brown hair that was anything but neat. He was smart, the teachers liked him – except for Snape, but he hated all Gryffindors – and he was popular among the kids too. He was nice and funny and despite being smart, he still laughed at all of Fred and George's pranks instead of acting disapproving of them.

And now he was standing by Katie, and she had no idea why.

"Hey," he said a bit awkwardly. Katie tried for a sad smile, though she wasn't sure if it looked more like a grimace. "So… I saw that whole scene… just now," Will continued.

"Didn't everybody?" Katie said, making her voice small. Will laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry about what happened. But, you're a very amazing girl, and I'm sure you'll find someone else."

"Thanks," Katie said, feeling flattered. Will smiled at her before going to join his friends who were waiting for him by the Portrait Hole. Katie watched him leave the Common Room.

What was that all about," Alicia whispered.

"No idea," Katie said distractedly. Fred had just gotten up and he was walking towards them. He stopped near Katie and Alicia's couch.

"Scoot over," he said, nudging Katie's foot with his. The girls moved and Fred sat down on the other side of Katie. It felt good to have him near her again. There was silence, and Fred wrapped an arm around Katie, pulling her close to him. "You okay?" he asked.

"Are you done being peaceful?" Katie asked, looking at him. Fred smiled.

"Yes."

"Then I'm perfectly fine," Katie said honestly, wrapping her own arms around him and moving closer. "I missed you."

"I was always here."

"But you weren't you."

This whole thing was based on the drama. Fred was comforting her because he thought she was upset over Lee. Part of her felt guilty, but a larger part didn't. If acting upset meant she got Fred back, she would do it. Anything to spend a few moments with him.

"Sorry about Lee. Didn't know he could be such a jerk." Katie didn't want to mess up Fred's friendship with Lee. She had to help keep that, or this would cause more damage than relief.

"No, it's not Lee's fault. Things just weren't working out. We weren't meant to be, that's all. Don't blame Lee."

"Still, Lee shouldn't have yelled at you that way," Fred insisted.

"I said some pretty bad things too," Katie said. "We were both out of line. I just hope we can still be friends after this. I love having Lee as a friend. I don't even know where this dating drama sprung from." Katie was mildly amused by the hidden truth in her words.

"So, what was that kid doing over here just now," Fred said conversationally. Katie detected a hint of protectiveness and jealousy in his voice.

"He was just showing his sympathy," Katie answered. Fred didn't say anything, and they sat like that for a while. The Common Room started to clear, reminding Katie that it was near dinner time. "We should probably go."

"We should," Fred agreed. They got up together and Fred turned to the others. "You guys coming?"

"I'm glad you're back Freddie," George said standing up and clapping Fred on the back.

"I'm glad I'm back too Georgie," Fred said. "I have so many ideas I need to share with you…" The two twins walked out of the Common Room in deep conversation.

"Things are normal," Angelina said cheerfully joining Katie and Alicia. The girls were then joined by Lee.

"D'you think Fred will forgive me, or punch me?" he said sounding worried.

"Don't worry, I told him it wasn't your fault," Katie said reassuringly. "Hopefully things will all work out now."

And they did… mostly.

* * *

The week flew by and everything was back to normal. Jokes were cracked and pranks were pulled, and Fred seemed perfectly fine. But he didn't declare his love for her, as Katie had been hopefully expecting (though she would never admit it).

And soon enough, a Hogsmeade trip was coming up. Nobody really discussed the plans, it was assumed that the six friends would go together as always.

Katie was sitting in the Common Room, reading the sequel to _The Polyjuice Problems_, titled _The Doxycide Dilemma_.

In it, Piper and Leo's relationship hit some rough spots when another girl, Reyna, entered the picture. So far, Katie was loving it.

She was just starting the fourth chapter when the pages darkened. She glanced up and saw Will Freyton standing next to her chair.

"Uh, sorry Katie, I didn't mean to disturb your reading…" he apologized awkwardly.

"No, it's fine," Katie said.

"Anyway… I was, uh, wondering if maybe you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

The invitation took Katie by surprise, and several things ran through her mind right then.

One, Will Freyton, dream boy, fifth year heartthrob, had just asked her out.

Two, what about Fred?

But, if Fred had any feelings for her, why hadn't he said anything? What if they were wrong about the whole thing? Katie couldn't just sit around expecting Fred to one day announce feelings for her. She had to move on and live her life, and that included dating.

And maybe those thoughts were what led to the four words she spoke next.

"I would love to."

And she had no idea, the impact those four words would have on the lives of her, Will, and Fred Weasley.

Sometimes, four words, four syllables, is enough to change everything.

* * *

**Even if it's only a smiley face or a frowny face, or an 'I hate this', please please please comment. I feel like no one is reading this. It makes me sad because I really care about this story. **

**Review! (I'm begging now)**


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